Jashin's Daughter the Bug Princess (Being Reedited)
by TsukikoUchu
Summary: The Story of Sakura being taken into the Aburame Clan, as she grows up she tries to find her true origins, it's a long, long road but finally Sakura learns the truth. P.S. The Akatsuki are good guys in this story. P.S.S. The story is now undergoing massive reediting along with gaining new chapters, hope you all enjoy. P.S.S.S. All new chapters will be put at the beginning.
1. Prologue

**Here you go everyone the long awaited reedited version of Jashin** **'s Daughter the Bug Princess, I will be adding new chapters and editing all of the chapters to make this story more readable, I've been practicing and I hope you all will enjoy!**

Jashin the god of slaughter, had many followers during his rule as the immortal god, he sat atop his rose thorn throne every day for centuries, after the gods had retreated to their own realms, Jashin created his dark garden for his own enjoyment.

But that joy soon faded as the bitter feeling of loneliness crept into his heart, day after day, his followers prayed to him, but Jashin no longer felt his cruel happiness of pain, instead he wished for something in his position that should never be wished for.

Jashin longed for a family, though he was trapped in his realm, with only his followers to talk to it got boring, Jashin felt emotions like everyone else but those feelings were on a much larger scale than humans, he felt everything strongly.

One day as he sat on his throne, with a bored air, a woman with purple hair and dark forest green eyes invaded his dark garden, and he immediately knew she was the one for him, her name was Yukina Kamizuru and the one who had inducted her into the religion was Hidan.

The silver haired Jashinist had been in Jashin's service for a very long time, much longer than any of the others due to his immortal status, also Hidan was Yukina's best friend, the woman was mortal, but Jashin didn't care so long as he had her to himself.

'By the gods she is beautiful' Jashin mused silently as the gorgeous woman gazed around to her new surroundings, then her dark eyes landed on him and a rather becoming blush spread across her cheeks, and Jashin knew she would be his someday.

Yukina stared at her immortal god for sometime, random thoughts flying through her head as the god allowed her to look her fill of him, with his piercing red eyes and white hair as long as hers was short, it pooled on the ground and glowed a soft red in the moonlight due to the red moon.

Swallowing thickly Yukina tried to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat "I'm Yukina Kamizuru, and I have come before you as a new acolyte to the Jashinist religion" she bowed her head politely before fading.

The other jashinists quickly found out that Yukina wasn't one to be trifled with and to Jashin's immortal amusement could go toe to toe with some of his toughest followers and put them in their place as lowest of the low, earning her position at the very top of the totem pole.

Sometime passed as Jashin and Yukina grew physically attracted to each other, and as the first year came and went, their courtship began and suddenly the others had new things to worry about as love blossomed between the two.

On days Yukina visited, she and Jashin would dance under the red moon in his garden and share tender kisses, they would make love beneath the enchanting stars, neither caring as to whether or not Yukina would get pregnant due to all the love.

As the second year came and passed, Yukina slowly stopped visiting the temple as much and by extension her lover, as the young woman learned she was pregnant with Jashin's child, Yukina knew not what to do instead decided to avoid the immortal god all together.

Jashin was pacing in his garden destroying nearly everything he could get his hands on, it had been two damn months since anyone had seen or heard from his Yukina, the term of possessiveness was definitely warranted in that situation.

Finally at the three month mark, Hidan appeared in his garden with some news "I found Yukina, she's been hiding, I'm going to try and convince her to come and speak with you" Hidan gazed around at all the destruction and wished he didn't have to be in the middle of everything.

Tapping a long pointed nail on his throne, Jashin narrowed his eyes "You would do well to succeed Hidan for my patience wears thin with the woman" he sneered out and Hidan quickly faded from the garden to do as his immortal god bid him to do.

It was a long two weeks as Hidan did everything he could to get Yukina to come back and speak with Jashin, but her stubbornness was much worse than his, the purple haired woman even went so far as to fly off on her beloved summons a plume moth by the name of Rora.

Finally Hidan had, had enough "Please Yukina, I'm begging you here" Hidan literally got down on his hands and knee's to beg and his best friend pressed her lips together studiously ignoring him, though Hidan could tell it was slowly beginning to get to her.

A few minutes later Yukina finally cracked "Alright fine just stop doing that" Yukina stressed and with brute strength yanked Hidan up from the ground he had kneeled on and stalked towards the temple followers and newbies alike jumping from her path.

Jashin was furious as his disobedient lover appeared in his garden for the first time in three and a half months, her dark forest green eyes glistening and streaks of tears making a path down her cheeks, "Woman you will tell me why you have avoided me" Jashin demanded.

Yukina flinched hearing the rage in her lovers voice, her throat constricted and she found it difficult to speak, it was like her first time in the garden only ten times worse especially with the news she had to give to the immortal god.

Jashin clicked his tongue disapprovingly "Spit it out woman, for I grow tired of this game" he snapped and Yukina sent him a scowl as her temper finally got the better of her, it was the push she had needed and finally Yukina hissed out.

"I'm pregnant" Yukina growled out impressively, only to take a step back as Jashin leaped from his throne, long white hair trailing after him as he strode towards her with an unreadable expression on his face and an unknown emotion in his eyes.

Jashin thought the news was magnificent and quickly gathered his woman into his arms "Is it true my love are you really with child" he could barely restrain his excitement, Yukina looked at him with large unsure eyes before nodding slowly.

"Yes, my lord, I am pregnant with your child, the reason for avoiding you so was because I was unsure of if you would want the baby" Yukina explained her long absence and looked to the ground as her aura exuded shame at her actions.

Jashin didn't speak instead spun Yukina in a wide circle, laughing darkly, it was a relieving sound to Yukina who quickly let out her twinkling bell like laugh as they once again danced under the red moon before sharing the news with the jashinists.

Though before Yukina left the garden, Jashin had one last thing to say to his lover for that day "Never avoid me again, I was most furious with you" he slanted a piercing red glance her way and Yukina eeped before fading.

Before the birth of the little girl Jashin and Yukina would be having, Jashin called his most faithful follower into his garden one day, Hidan bowed but only got scolded "Rise Hidan, you no longer have to defer to me" Jashin rumbled out and Hidan did as he was bid.

"If I may ask Lord Jashin, why have you called me here and not Lady Yukina" Hidan inquired curiously, he still had trouble calling his best friend Lady, because he had known her for so long and all he could think of her as was his friend.

Jashin let out a little sigh "Yukina and I have decided to make you our child's godfather, you have until after the birth to decide whether or not you want this position" he explained before dismissing the silver haired man from his garden before Hidan could even speak.

After that the months flew by and then it was time for Yukina to give birth, it was long and hard and then finally a beautiful baby girl with pink hair and emerald eyes slid into the hands of the midwife all of the followers cheered.

A couple hours later when Yukina and Sakura as her mother had named her, were resting, Hidan took his chance to sneak away and let Jashin know that his daughter had been born and give the god his answer to the question he had had asked many months ago.

"It's done then, Yukina has given birth" Jashin asked knowingly, he was eager to know what his child looked like since it would be many years until he would be able to look upon her with his own eyes, it was a truly heart wrenching situation to be in.

Hidan nodded "Yes, Princess Sakura was born a healthy squalling child, like Yukina's brat siblings" a small smirked lifted the corners of Hidan's lips briefly as he thought of the three Kamizuru siblings that adored their elder sister.

"What of her looks then, does she have my hair or Yukina's and what of her eyes" Jashin perched precariously on the edge of his rose thorn throne, eagerly awaiting the details of his child's looks, did she look like him or Yukina.

At that Hidan grimaced and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly all while shifting awkwardly "Not exactly Lord Jashin, Princess Sakura has you see, she has pink hair and light emerald green eyes" he spit out in a rush.

Jashin leaned back as he contemplated the news, then decided that his daughters features didn't bother him half as much as he thought they would, "Go on then have you given my question any thought" Jashin asked again.

While they were chatting pandemonium was about to start in the temple, Yukina woke to a scuffle in her room and her eyes lit up in recognition, before she could scream a kunai was buried to the hilt into her heart, as her baby girl was stolen right from her arms.

Back in the garden Hidan was just giving his answer "I would love to be Princess Sakura's godfather, I will make sure she is taken good care of until she can meet you" he bowed his head only to turn in confusion as a presence made itself known in the garden.

"My Lord Jashin, terrible news, Lady Yukina has been killed, and Princess Sakura has been kidnapped" the midwife had seen everything but had been to late to do anything, if only she hadn't left the ladies side.

Jashin shouted in outrage and Hidan left the garden and temple to search for his godchild after weeks of no luck, he returned "I'm sorry Lord Jashin, I looked everywhere but I couldn't find her" he closed his eyes before fading leaving Jashin alone.

And for the first time in centuries Jashin wept for all that he lost in a single moment, the loneliness that had abated came back in full force, Jashin locked himself away hardening his heart against any who attempted to gain his attention.

It wouldn't be until a tiny pink haired child of the tender age of 13 comes into his life as a new acolyte that Jashin slowly learns to love again, as he follows her along her journey of sadness and rage and love to find the truth of her origins.


	2. The Crime Committed and The Escape

-5 Years Earlier-

The forest was quiet, not a sound was to be heard for miles upon miles, and then the soft rustling of clothes as two men appeared garbed in robes, none of their features could be seen as they traveled through the forest at high speed.

They had just committed the ultimate sin, just hours earlier by killing off Yukina and stealing her newborn child from her arms, in their eyes, the child was a demon but neither had been able to kill the baby instead choosing to take her somewhere she would grow up normally.

Covering their tracks well so they couldn't be followed, the man holding a bundle in his arms looked down with disbelief in his gaze "Hey are you sure this is Yukina's kid" he asked suddenly only to get scolded for speaking.

"Be quiet fool, or do you want to wake her" the other hissed just as a tiny cry emitted from the bundle, both men had to stop on a branch and so they peered down at the bundle revealing a little girl with pink hair and emerald eyes.

They shared a look before continuing on, still having some ways to travel "And yes the girl is of Yukina and that demon's blood" the second sneered out, they were only remnants of the once proud Kamizuru clan but now they were short a leader.

Soon they approached the Leaf Village, but neither dared to enter especially with the night guard, so they left the little girl where she would be found and hid themselves within a tree, hours passed until finally a patrolling anbu spotted the bundle as the girl began to cry.

"Hey what's a baby doing here" a boy with silver hair and one onyx eye the other covered called out before scooping the squalling child into his arms, young Kakashi Hatake quickly spun on his heel after making sure someone would go search in the forest and headed to the Hokage's office.

Though the search came up empty as the two men were long gone, having disappeared the minute the girl had been found, neither of them were heard from again, as for the little girl, Kakashi took her straight to the Hokage.

Hiruzen peered at the pink haired child with trepidation in his gaze, who was she, where had she come from and most importantly was why had she been deliberately placed outside the gates so that she would be obviously found.

Kakashi was also wary but slowly rocked the child in his arms and the tiny girl let out a yawn "We looked Lord Hokage but no one found anything" Kakashi explained bouncing the child now when rocking proved to be ineffective.

Sighing Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe and released it slowly, at the last second though he turned his head so that the girl didn't inhale any of the smoke "There is little we can do now, take the child to the orphanage" he dismissed Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded his head and left in a puff of smoke, settling matters with the woman in charge of the orphanage, the child was taken from his arms and placed in a room with the other children, it would be years later that Kakashi would once again encounter the pink haired girl.

As he left, he couldn't help but wonder who would abandon their own child, though his mind soon drifted to other things, Kakashi having been dismissed for the night headed home and crawled into bed, falling asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

-2 years later-

Sakura sulked, she was only two but she had a better sense of awareness than the other children at the orphanage, the reason for her sulk though was because she had been caught once again trying to escape and had been placed in time out.

The other kids didn't understand and they all laughed and jeered at her, tugging on her pretty pink hair and larger than usual forehead, Sakura couldn't stand it any longer, she would get out of her no matter what and that was a vow she couldn't break.

Once the woman in charge of the orphanage let her out of her room, Sakura smiled as sweetly as any two year child could, though deep within the depths of her emerald greens held a smugness, Sakura was devious and had spent the entire time in time out plotting to escape.

Only this time, Sakura would make sure to not be caught, scowling at the other children, she sneakily crept towards the window that was always open, relaxing her body, Sakura leaned against the wall for sometime carefully watching everything that went on around her.

Roughly half an hour later Sakura spotted the opening she needed as all the children were called in for the daily adoption line up, she had no intentions of going, the woman in charge payed Sakura no mind and completely forgot about her.

This gave Sakura a few minutes to scale the wall to the little window sill and slid through the still open window and with that she was free from her personal hell, Sakura jumped down to the ground, wiggling her toes in the grass for a moment then sprinted.

All the way to the village she went and when she felt she was far enough away, Sakura pumped her arm in victory "Awesome-sauce, I can't believe I actually made it that time" she stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down in the direction of the distant building.

For a child of her age, she was more articulate than any of the other children, it gave Sakura the advantage usually, finished with her little victory taunt, Sakura peered around and headed for the first place she could find to hid her from sight.

At the orphanage the woman in charge was raving mad, the little brat had done it again only this time Sakura had completely escaped, oh how she wished she was a ninja then it would make locating the girl ten times easier.

But alas she was not and thus she could not find the girl no matter how long and hard she searched, it never occured to her that Sakura had gone to the village and therefore the girl was completely forgotten as the years passed.

Back in the village, Sakura found an alley to use as shelter, along the way she had pilfered through trash and found tons of old blankets torn and ratted they still provided an excellent cover, as Sakura bedded down in a box for the night one last thought crossed her mind.

'I hope someday I'll find a family' Sakura thought inwardly, no sooner had she thought that, she fell asleep, though in nearly three years, she would find that her seemingly random wish would be given to her, afterwards Sakura fell asleep.


	3. Street Days Part 1

Emerging from her little box the next morning Sakura stretched as her little tummy rumbled in hunger, a whole new set of problems cropped up as she wondered how to go about acquiring food for herself, all while she wandered slowly through the village.

A delicious aroma wafted into her nose as she walked by several food stalls, but Sakura wouldn't stoop so low as to steal, she wouldn't do that even if someone begged her to do it, she had some morals and pride as well.

Finally as Sakura was about to give up, she wandered into a back alley connecting to a restaurant, the owner stepped out and his eyes flitted to the adorable little girl "Hey what's a kid like you doing back here" he knelt down and Sakura jumped back in fright.

Hunched against the wall, Sakura stared at the stranger with rounded eyes full of mistrust and fear "I'm hungry, I struck out on my own" she slapped her hands over her mouth, obviously her brain to mouth filter wasn't working as she blurted out the truth.

The man tossed his head back and let out a guttural laugh "Here kid, they are just scraps, but if you come by every morning, and possibly the evening, I can give them to you along with a cup of water" he gave the box he held in his hands to the little girl.

Sakura licked her lips, even if the food was just scraps, it was delicious looking scraps and soon the food was gobbled down, Sakura ate so fast she was certain she hadn't tasted a thing, next a little cup of water was thrust into her hand and Sakura drank that slowly as not to upset her stomach.

"Thank you mister" Sakura smiled sweetly before politely throwing her trash away, the man was decidedly confused by her actions, though didn't ask as the tiny pinkette left the alley and headed back to her shelter for the afternoon.

With a shake of his head, the owner of the restaurant stepped back into his shop, if the girl did come back later in the evening, he would make sure to leave a cup of water for her and scraps, never mind how she had come to be on her own.

Sakura was extremely wary as her eyes darted from person to person, everyone was so huge and she was so tiny, Sakura feared being trampled on so hurried her steps and quickly climbed into her shelter wrapping her blanket about her little body and covering the opening.

This was so that anyone passing by would be none the wiser about her presence, Sakura wouldn't risk being found and taken back to the devil of an orphanage, she shuddered to think of the punishment she would receive and also having to endure all the jibes and taunts again would kill her.

When lunch rolled around Sakura shuffled from her alley again and took off in the opposite direction, looking for other restaurants that would possibly give her scraps or even a cup of water, she was unlucky as they all refused and Sakura trudged back to the one place she knew she could get food.

Her eyes lit up upon spotting the box and little cup and quickly sat down on a wooden crate to eat, this time though Sakura ate slowly savoring the taste, before drinking her water down, like before she tossed her trash away and went back to her alley.

The next few weeks passed by slowly for the little girl as every morning and every evening she ate scraps, sometimes going without as she missed the times, Sakura was slowly adding to her little fort by gathering more items.

By the time the first month rolled around Sakura had even acquired an old tea kettle along with a little fire place, she would sneak from the village every morning to gather wood and bring it back to hide under blankets and then in the afternoons she would collect water where ever she could.

It wasn't much but Sakura was satisfied, the only problem was what she would do for food during the lunch hours, but still she had found nothing that would indicate how she could solve that little problem until a week later.

The minute Sakura stepped into the alley that connected to the restaurant she got scraps from she knew something was different "Ah there you are kid, I've got a special surprise for ya, I've taken the day off and packed us a nice, breakfast, lunch and dinner" the owner spoke.

Sakura was shocked to her very core "Where are we going Mister" she tilted her head to the side and her heavy pink hair nearly touched the ground with it's length the man laughed and ruffled her hair despite the grime that had built up in it over the weeks.

"I'm going to teach you how to hunt kid, so that you don't always have to rely on me for food, your a growing kid, so you need more than just what I give ya" he teased and led the way from the village, though at the gates Sakura hesitated.

Taking a deep breath, she scurried to her trusted friends side, though Sakura was uncertain if she could even call this man a friend and followed him deep into the forest to a little river "Wow it's so pretty" Sakura exclaimed with her child like awe.

It was a first for the restaurant owner as he watched the little pinkette take off her tiny shoes and wade into the shallow part of the river, not caring if her tan pants got wet, Sakura dipped her hands underneath the water and squealed in delight.

Chuckling Luka sat down and prepared the poles, the little one is what he would gift to Sakura, if no one else was watching the kid, then he would take it upon himself to make sure the girl was prepared for the long road she was journeying on all by her lonesome little self.

Luka watched her play for twenty minutes before calling her to his side, it occurred to him then that he didn't even know her name "So what's your name kid" Luka asked nonchalantly, chuckling once again as the pinkette swung her head around so fast, to stare at him in surprise.

Sakura pushed her fingers together shyly "Sakura" she mumbled, "Will you tell me your name" she asked avoiding looking in the mans direction only to get a pat on the head, Sakura turned her head to gaze at him afterwards.

"It's Luka kid and don't forget it, now I'm going to teach you how to fish" Luka picked up the child fishing pole, he had gotten it for his own child but the boy had never shown an interest, like Luka thought she would, Sakura green eyes lit up and sparkled in happiness.

Taking the rod she scanned her eyes over it completely before nodding "Thank you Luka-san" Sakura nodded politely once again, it was that strange politeness that had Luka even bothering with the girl in the first place and he wanted to see how far she would go.

"Alright first thing you need to do kid is ta..." Luka trailed off when Sakura's stomach growled loudly, he grimaced in realization "Okay then how about we eat breakfast first then get to the lessons" Luka pulled out a blanket and set some sandwiches down on a plate.

Sakura's mouth salivated at the sight, it had been more weeks than she could count since the last time she had gotten a decent meal and the innocent looking sandwiches were more than Sakura could have ever hoped for on her own.

Instead of thanking Luka again, Sakura merely picked up the sandwich with all the finesse a mere child like her could manage and daintily ate the food, taking small bites to Luka's amusement and when Sakura was finished she dabbed at her mouth with an old handkerchief.

Luka handed over a cup of apple juice and Sakura took small sips before polishing it off "I'm ready to learn how to fish Luka-san" Sakura picked up her fishing pole again, Luka put away the blanket and did the same before facing the river.

"Ok then the first thing you need to know about fishing is how to set up the rod" Luka deftly undid all of his work and let Sakura watch as he threaded the fishing line through the little holes until it got to the end, then Luka tied the bobber and hook onto the end of the string.

Sakura's eyes were wide in awe once again, and wanting to try it herself, copied Luka's previous actions and tried to redo her own pole, it took Sakura several minutes before finally getting it right and Luka patted her on the back proud she had gotten it right so quickly.

"That was so cool Luka-san, what else are you going to teach me" Sakura asked, Luka remained silent as he gazed elsewhere, Sakura followed his eyes to the river before Luka stood and she followed him there was no way she was going to miss out on anything.

Luka hooked a worm onto the end of his hook, and then handed one to Sakura who promptly did the same, she was a quick study that was for sure, which made this all the easier for him "Okay kid watch" Luka smirked and sent his line into the water.

Sakura's tiny little mind absorbed the knowledge she was learning like an eager little sponge, casting her own line out onto the water, Sakura sat down and waited, patience was a virtue and it should be treasured instead of despised.

Luka cocked his brow at the child at his side, "Your different than other kids" he noted absently, wondering what unique thing Sakura would say in response, Sakura leaned her head onto her hand and turned her head to face him.

"Yeah, I learned to talk properly way before the others, I couldn't stay there any longer, I felt like I would wilt away, such is the life of a flower" Sakura sighed fiddling with some grass as she waited, her bobber had been moving slightly for a few seconds now.

Snorting Luka shook his head and sat down "Your weird but good" he stated and Sakura giggled softly before lightly tensing her hand around her rod, her gaze was focused intently on the water and incidentally her bobber that was moving around much more than before.

Sakura snatched up her fishing pole swiftly as the bobber finally went under and reeled her line in as quickly as she could, on the end of the string and coincidentally the hook, was Sakura's first catch and Luka applauded her for a job well done.

"And thank you Luka-san, you know for the comment, I like being weird it makes me unique to my own self" Sakura smiled brightly at Luka, before looking at her fish in confusion "So what comes next" she asked sheepishly.

Luka rubbed his temples "Unbelievable, getting showed up by a little girl" he winked to let Sakura know he was teasing, before gesturing to Sakura to sit down, it was unlikely he would get lucky so Luka reeled in his own line and set the pole on the ground.

Sakura smiled cheekily before doing as Luka bid and folded her hands neatly in her lap waiting for Luka's further instruction to her little lesson on gathering her own food when he wasn't able to give her what she needed.

Clearing his throat Luka was nervous, most girls didn't like this little part and thought it was gross "Well to put it bluntly, you have to scale, gut and remove the bones from your fish" Luka delivered his instructions, he didn't sugar coat his words.

Sakura's eyes went impossibly wide, so wide that the whites of her eyes were showing before glancing down at the unassuming little fish lying between them "Okay" Sakura gulped before bravely taking the skinning knife Luka handed her and began her meticulous task.

Luka watched Sakura as she worked tirelessly on her fish to do as he had asked, little beads of sweat glistened on her forehead and slid down her cheeks as Sakura concentrated on fulfilling her task to the best of her current abilities.

Finally after thirty or so minutes, Sakura finished her arduous task and sat back on her knee's presenting her skinned, gutted and deboned fish with pride "How did I do Luka-san" Sakura asked nervously, her heart was pounding in her chest as the first tendrils of fear reached it.

To put it bluntly Sakura was afraid that she hadn't done a good enough job and that Luka would reject it all together and make her catch another fish just to do it all again, Sakura bit her lip and chewed on it as she waited for Luka to speak.

Luka scanned the fish over several times before tapping his lip, he could tell Sakura was anxious, then finally Luka nodded "You did very good Sakura-chan" he rubbed her stiff hair and held back a grimace, the pink hair was absolutely disgusting.

Sakura's reaction made Luka smile, her little face lit up and her eyes sparkled like the emeralds they resembled, despite the current odds against the girl, Sakura was still as happy a child as she could be, even though she was living on the streets.

"I did it, I did it" Sakura jumped to her feet and did a little victory dance "So awesome-sauce" she grinned pumping her arm, Sakura's cheeks flushed a moment later in embarrassment as Luka gave her a strange look, she sat down and gazed at the grass.

Rolling his eyes Luka chuckled "Is there something interesting about that particular patch of grass" he asked suddenly and Sakura swung her head up so fast Luka was surprised she didn't get whiplash from it, she stammered for a moment then shook her head.

"No Luka-san, so what next, surely there's more to learn right" Sakura once again chewed on her lip, if she wasn't careful it could become a bad habit, though despite her inner scolding, Sakura continued worrying her lip between her teeth until it was red and raw from the abuse.

Considering her words for a moment Luka contemplated on taking the lesson further than he had planned, Sakura could eat the fish raw that was for sure, but it would taste a lot better if she knew how to cook it and collect herbs to make it taste a thousand times better than it would be if it was plain.

"Yes, there is plenty more to learn" Luka pulled out an old scroll that held the names and pictures of simple herbs, "Here, go into the forest and collect two of each" Luka ordered gently handing the scroll to Sakura as another gift.

Sakura swallowed thickly as her heart swelled with happiness, Luka had been so kind her from the very beginning, and doing as he asked, Sakura traipsed out of the clearing and into the forest to gather the herbs that were shown on the scroll.

When she returned, the scroll was safely tucked away into her trousers, while Sakura gently clutched the herbs in her hands to her chest "Luka-san, I got them like you asked" she smiled proud of herself for the moment and once again sat down.

It was tiring work but Sakura would do it all again if it meant she could survive just a bit longer in this difficult world, "Alright then take this sharp rock and this flat one and grind the herbs up together" Luka held out the two aforementioned rocks.

Sakura though massively confused did as asked, when she was finished and the herbs had been ground into a thick paste, it smelled heavenly, Luka taught her how to make a roasting stick and how to prevent it from being burned and then had her build a fire.

Before Sakura knew it, she was lathing her fish in the herb paste, and spearing her fish to set up over the fire, she watched as the skin cracked and peeled, her stomach rumbling in hunger as the delightful aroma drifted into her nose.

Luka chuckled, Sakura would do good so long as she remembered this lesson "Luka-san, do you think I'll ever find out where I belong" Sakura pulled Luka from his thoughts and he stared down at her in surprise, didn't she already belong to the Leaf Village.

Instead of pondering over his internal question, Luka outwardly asked Sakura what she meant "What do you mean find where you belong aren't you a part of the Leaf Village" Luka quirked his brow as Sakura let out a weary sigh.

"Besides that, I mean like my family, I'm an orphan you see, and no one knows where I came from or who I really am" Sakura scowled fiercely at the grass and ripped a few blades from the earth to twirl in her fingers as she waited for her fish to finish cooking.

Luka deflated at that, he didn't have an answer for the tiny pink haired child "Your fish is done" he pointed out to get Sakura's attention off such morose thoughts, Luka watched as she gently blew on her fish before biting down.

Sakura blinked when a soft crunch met her ears, and then a taste like never before teased her senses, she munched happily on her fish after that, little squeals of merriment escaping her from time to time causing Luka to chuckle and sit back eating another sandwich.

When Sakura was finished, she licked the juices from her fingers then headed to the river to wash her hands "That was the bestest fish I've ever had" Sakura spun around on her heel when she was done and nearly wrapped her arms around Luka for a hug.

Luka blinked when Sakura just froze and remained unmoving like a statue for several minutes, apparently she was having an internal debate with herself about something, eventually though Sakura lowered her foot and stayed in her place.

"Here Sakura, I've packed some things in here for you, I can only do so much as my hands are tied" Luka handed over a little bag, it was filled with a couple of books for Sakura to read and expand on her knowledge if she so chose, and the fishing rod, that was able to be folded.

Along with that was a plain storage scroll with instructions on how to use it, the sheath to the knife she carried in her hand the two rocks she had used to grind up her herbs, and several plastic bags to store herbs in if she wanted to stock up.

Sakura scuffed her shoe and hesitantly took the bag, only to be surprised when Luka also handed her a cooler to chill anything she wanted in "This is to much Luka-san" Sakura looked down to her feet, it's not that she wasn't grateful, its just that Luka was being way to kind to her.

"Nonsense kid" Luka put the little cooler in Sakura's hands "And if your ever in need of ice, just use this" he held up the little ice cube maker "The cooler will naturally turn it to ice for you due to chakra" Luka explained.

Upon hearing the unfamiliar word, Sakura's interest peaked "What's chakra, it sounds so cool" Sakura leaned forward eagerly waiting to hear more about this chakra, Luka sighed before going into as detailed an explanation as he could.

"It's what ninja use to fuel their jutsu's, there's a book in that bag that will tell you more, basically, a ninja used his chakra to make this cooler here stay chilly so that he didn't have to fight with it and put more ice in it when it all melted" Luka scratched his head awkwardly.

That was it Sakura was irrevocably stuck on the idea "Someday, I'm going to be a ninja and I'll make this world a better place for everyone, no matter what I have to go through to do it" she vowed, her first vow as a future shinobi of the Leaf Village.

Luka thought, that no truer words had been spoken and gave Sakura one last pat on the head, gave her, her dinner for later and led the girl back to the village, at the gates Luka and Sakura parted, Luka headed to his shop and Sakura to her alley.

Later on after eating the two sandwiches and having a cup of a water to fill her stomach, Sakura curled up in her box after making sure the opening was covered like always, Sakura slowly fell to sleep, dreaming sweet dreams of the future she wanted as her own someday.


	4. Street Days Part 2

The next few weeks, Sakura steadily built up her food stock for the coming winter, she didn't know it but in the future fish would be her favorite dish including eating it as she was pregnant to the point of being almost obsessive.

Sakura had already read through the two books Luka had given her, she hadn't seen him since that day but from time to time when Sakura didn't feel like cooking, she would sneak downtown to the restaurant alley and eat the scraps and drink the water Luka would leave out for her.

That day though, Sakura was going to scour the village looking for something new to do, she had already taught herself how to access her storage scroll and it was filled with old clothes people threw away, some of them were huge but Sakura figured out a way to make them fit.

As she exited her alley, since no one else ever wandered down that way, Sakura was wearing a fitted t-shirt that she had expertly cut with her scissors, they had been dull but using the rock had sharpened them right up, so now the shirt looked more like a dress.

Around her waist was a thin rope made of intricate knots also made by her own hand, the only thing missing from Sakura's attire were her shoes, she had forgotten them by the river, but when she had gone back they had vanished so she went without.

Ready, Sakura set forth into the village, weaving through crowds of people with an ease that would make adults jealous she searched every where she could think of, stumbling across several parks bustling and filled to the brim with children that she whole heartedly avoided.

Sulking at striking out for the third day in a row, Sakura walked down a path she had never been on before and came face to face with the very thing that she had wanted above all else, the building Sakura stood before was the library.

'Now the only question is, is how do I get inside without drawing suspcion upon myself' Sakura mused inwardly as she paced in circles, she never noticing the crowd of people gathering around her until it was to late, Sakura jumped when someone nudged her shoulder.

"Hey aren't you just adorable, are you waiting for your mom and dad" the woman asked and Sakura gave her a pained smile, not really telling the truth "Come on then would you like to go in with me while I work" the woman asked again.

Sakura's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly, she stayed stubbornly silent though due to some innate thing, Sakura knew that librarians liked their libraries just that silent and so as the woman led her through, finding it easier than she thought it would be Sakura sat patiently.

"What are you waiting for, go pick out a few books" the woman shooed her off to the children section of the library then went back to her table to get to work, the minute she had taken her eyes off of Sakura though is when the little girl tiptoed over to the ninja information sections.

Sakura wouldn't steal but she would read as much as she could, grabbing several books, one of genjutsu, one of chakra application to all the different things, along with one on weapons and of course the last one on more herbs.

With her books in arms, Sakura headed back to the table only to get scolded "No, no, no, those books aren't for little girls" the woman she had come in with snatched the books up from the table and took them back to their shelf a moment later she returned with a child's book.

Sakura's eye twitched in irritation and huffed angrily at that, and smoothly pushed the book away, though she didn't make any further sounds of complaint, Sakura patiently waited for the woman to finish her work, though when she was finished, Sakura was presented with a new problem.

"Come along then, I'll help you find your parents since they didn't show up" the woman grasped Sakura by the arm and tugged her along after her, despite Sakura's struggles, they soon exited the library and Sakura looked back with dismay in her eyes.

"I'm fine, now let me go" Sakura snapped and ripped her arm from the insistent woman's hold, it took quite a lot of effort and she was glad that she had been doing all that work, Sakura didn't wait around and took off like a rocket, not looking back to see if that woman was following her.

The woman pressed her lips together, if she ever saw that ungrateful little brat again, she was going straight to the girls parents to let them know how misbehaving the child was and hopefully the girl would get punished for her actions.

Sakura skidded to a halt around the corner of an alley that wasn't hers, her heart was pounding and blood was rushing in her ears, when she was certain that the woman hadn't followed her, Sakura peeked around and stealthily made her way back to the library.

Inside she was stopped "Hello there, aren't you a sweetie" the librarian smiled as best she could at the dirty child but Sakura remained silent once again the librarian frowned "How old are you" she eyed Sakura hoping to get the girl talking.

Sakura held up two fingers "May I look at the books in the ninja section" she asked hesitantly, because of earlier she was unsure of if she could read them, were they truly not for little girls, could girls even become ninja or was it just for boys.

The librarian blinked and pushed her glasses up her nose "Certainly, how would you like a library card, so that you can take them home with you" she inquired already prepared to fill out the information the girl needed so that she could take a few books.

"I'm an orphan" Sakura explained waiting to be carted off back to the orphanage, when she opened her eyes after having squeezed them shut, Sakura noticed the librarian staring at her with pity in her gaze but deftly filled out the information, as she asked Sakura questions.

Tapping her pencil on the card, the librarian handed it over to Sakura "Here you go sweetie, though I would suggest only taking five books at the most so that you can keep track of them, and you have a month before you have to return them" she sent Sakura off.

Sakura with a silent squeal of happiness, rushed towards the ninja section of the library and quickly selected all five of her previous books "I'd like to check these out please" Sakura set the books on the counter and the librarian quickly stamped them and wrote down the information.

A thought came to the librarian then "Use this to mark your days" she handed Sakura a chalk calender that had all the months and it's thirty days, Sakura laughed softly before gently taking the calender and exiting the library happy as could be.

With books in arms and her calender slung over her shoulder, Sakura sprinted through the village at top speed, making sure to avoid that horrible woman at all costs, she almost ran into her but thanks to Sakura's sneakiness, she dodged through a crowd and disappeared.

Reaching her alley, Sakura breathed a loud sigh of relief and plopped down in her box, after setting up a fish to eat for lunch, she would probably go eat scraps for dinner, as Sakura waited for her food to cook, she flipped open one of her new books.

The one she had chosen was the chakra application, soon Sakura was absorbed in the world that was knowledge as she flipped through page after page, devouring every little detail and storing the information away for later use.

By the time her fish was ready, Sakura had read through more than half the book, and while she ate, she read even more, when she got ready for bed, Sakura closed her book and set it in a neat little pile underneath a blanket already finished with it.

Sakura woke up the next morning starving, she had realized that since she was so into her book that she had forgotten to eat, that didn't bother her half as much as it was supposed to, anyways, that morning Sakura cooked double of what she usually did.

Noticing her little cooler loosing it's ice, Sakura decided she would have lunch and dinner by the river, so cooler and bag in hand that held all seven of her current books, Sakura left the village and headed to the place that was very special to her.

Thankfully the river was deep in the forest, the opposite direction of the orphanage so with a happy sigh, Sakura set down all of her things in a certain order and quickly dug up worms a whole lot of them and put them in a container.

Next Sakura went to the river and collected several cups of water to put in the cooler and turn them into ice, she also took the time to catch fish to add to her cooler, scaling, gutting and removing the bones from all six fish.

While waiting for the ice to take shape, Sakura headed into the forest and collected as many herbs as she could along with some new ones that she knew would add to keeping her as healthy as possible, and labeled the bags with the name of each.

Sakura checked on her cooler, still no ice, so she quickly built two small fires, one she set her tea kettle over after unsealing it from her storage scroll, the second she speared a fish after layering the herb paste over it like she was use to doing.

Finally Sakura once again checked on her cooler and grinned in triumph, so shoving her newest catches in the cooler, Sakura dumped the new ice over the fish to keep them chilled, with a break in tasks as more ice formed, she sat down and pulled out a different book.

The second book she chose to read was one on genjutsu and how to detect them, it fascinated her that she nearly missed her fish being finished, but Sakura's nose was very good and could immediately tell, so she pulled the fish from the fire and ate while she read once again.

When Sakura was half way through her book, she closed it and settled it into her pack, in order to survive she had to eat more than fish, though Sakura loved the taste it wasn't enough anymore, so knife in hand Sakura headed into the forest with a determined gleam in her eyes.

Forty five minutes later she returned with three rabbits slung over her shoulder on a string, she had pounced when they least expected it, though Sakura was sure that the mother rabbit was pissed, it sucked being the lowest in the food chain and there was little she could do.

Sakura concentrated on skinning the rabbits, as an idea formed, she could keep the skin and dry it out, use it for blankets and the like, next, though it disgusted her, Sakura gutted the poor things and removed the bones as best she could.

Finished, Sakura put the meat in the cooler with her fish, on top and dumped the rest of the ice that had formed in her absence over the new source of protein, Sakura swiped her grimy hair out of her face, proud of the various accomplishments she had completed so far that day.

Though she was nowhere near finished, so Sakura stoked her dying fire, picked a few goldenrod flowers and using an old strainer, made her very first cup of tea, though she had nothing to sweeten it with, Sakura thought it was the best thing she had made that day.

Grabbing up her rod, Sakura put another wriggling worm on her hook, instead of depleting her stock of food so soon she headed to the river once again and caught another fish, which she quickly repeated her earlier process and speared it over the fire.

While her dinner cooked, Sakura pulled out her book on genjutsu again and started reading, by the time the fish got done cooking, and by the time Sakura got done eating, the second book had been read through and all of its information was stored safely within Sakura's head.

Packing up was easier than setting everything up, Sakura first put out her fires with the left over water, making sure there were no marks upon the ground before burying the left over sticks and roasting stick she had made from her knife.

Afterwards, she cleaned off all of her things, her tea kettle was washed thoroughly, along with the knife and her hands, her bag was repacked and cooler in hand, Sakura headed back to the village sneaking through the entrance unnoticed like usual.

The next few days were basically a repeat process, as Sakura read through all five of her books, on the morning of the fifth day, Sakura made her breakfast with a bit of rabbit meat and then grabbed up the library books, and her library card and marched all the way across town to return them.

The librarian the same one that had filled out the information for Sakura's library card looked up only to stare in surprise as Sakura entered the library and walked right up to her "Welcome to the library again Sakura-chan" the librarian greeted.

Sakura gave the woman a sweet smile taking note of her name tag "I've read all my books, Sayu-san" she pushed all five of the books onto the counter and once again Sayu's eyebrows raised into her hairline, but quickly admitted them back into the library.

"Your a very fast reader, you said you were two right" Sayu made light conversation with the girl as she waited for her stamp to leave it's mark on the card this stamp signaled the first return, then a thought came to Sayu as it finished.

Sakura smiled sheepishly before nodding "Uh huh, I taught myself to read when I started being on my own, it would be awful if I couldn't read directions" she shrugged, it was a logical reason to have the ability to read and eventually write.

Sayu was astonished but handed Sakura her library card again "Hey, something good will happen if you fill in all those stamp slots" Sayu called out to the girl before she could disappear to the books and grab even more.

Interest peaked once more Sakura turned on her heels "What will happen" she asked curiously, Sakura sat in the chair that was by the check out counter, Sayu was a very nice lady, and wasn't mean like that lady from the other day.

"Well it's a sort of come one come all sort of thing but if you get 15 stamps on your card, you'll get this" Sayu held up a picture of an easel along with all of it accessories, paint, brushes, stencils, even huge sketch pads five of them, pencils, colored pencils and five of each different canvas.

Sakura stared in awe, that would be perfect for her "And you said that anyone who gets fifteen stamps gets one" Sakura asked just to be sure, Sayu nodded and a joyful smile spread across Sakura's lips at the news "Then I'll be sure to participate" Sakura nodded decisively.

Sayu sighed, and briefly wondered if she should have just kept her mouth shut, though it would be extremely beneficial for Sakura if she acquired everything she needed, Sayu pitied the young girl and hoped for the best and that Sakura got everything she wanted in the end.

Hopping from her chair Sakura gave Sayu a little wave and headed to the ninja section to pick out even more books, taijutsu, hand signs, weapons training this time, instead of the different type of weapons, vegetables and fruits, and finally anatomy.

Returning with her selection, Sakura patiently waited for Sayu to check out the five books so she could take them back to her alley, then the worst happened, the woman from before entered the library and let out a shriek of fury upon sighting Sakura checking out books.

Sakura turned her head to late and found herself trapped helplessly in the woman's arms "Let me go" she struggled uselessly, Sayu jumped to her feet and quickly got involved however the woman that held Sakura was insistent on finding Sakura's parents.

"If you do not unhand that child, I will call the Uchiha Police Force here" Sayu warned threateningly, though it did nothing to persuade the woman in loosening her grasp on the pinkette who was slowly beginning to get angry.

Hearing the arguments of the two women, Sakura finally had enough "STOP, I DON'T HAVE ANY PARENTS" she shouted angry tears in her eyes and a scowl on her lips, her cheeks were flushed a scorching red as she let out her temper.

Sayu cringed but thanks to that little outburst the woman relaxed her hold enough for Sakura to wriggle out of her grasp, Sayu immediately pulled the little girl to her side and Sakura sighed in relief "Now get out of my library" Sayu ordered.

"No, I demand to know who your parents are little girl" the woman, who's name was Asa demanded and Sakura remained stubbornly glued to Sayu's side, there was no way in heck she was ever letting the brown haired woman touch her again.

Sakura crossed her arms "Like I said, I don't have any parents" she snapped, the library went quiet at that, the occupants were all taking Sakura's side unbeknownst to her, Asa snarled and lunged forward but was stopped by a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"We've had problems with you in the past Asa-san, so I suggest you leave while you still have the ability to do so" an unfamiliar voice spoke and so doing as was suggested Asa turned and stomped her way from the library muttering curses the whole way.

Sayu sighed in relief "Thanks Uchiha-san" she nodded her head politely and Sakura did the same, not wanting to be rude to her savior the Uchiha looked down before chuckling and with a wave left the library so that it could return to its former peaceful state.

And so it went, every five days Sakura returned books before checking out more and when she had gotten all fifteen of her stamps, she proudly held up her card to Sayu, who giggled at the little girl and handed over the reward for doing such a wonderful job.

Sakura went home nearly three and a half months later and sat down to start drawing while her food cooked, thanks to all the reading she had gotten in, her food stock had grown massively now including much more than just fish, rabbit and herbs.

That night after drawing a pretty picture despite her poor penmanship, Sakura sealed everything away in her storage scroll, and crawled into her home of four months she laid her weary head on the rabbit skin pillow she had made and quickly fell asleep to the village noises.


	5. Growing up Aburame Part 1

-2 years later-

Sakura was now 7 she had been with the Aburame's for two years now and it was the day of the Ninja Academy Entrance Ceremony the maid tasked with watching over her was mean and horrible 'She never let's me have any fun' Sakura thought pouting as Keiko scolded her again for the millionth time that morning "Do you hear me Young Lady now get dressed in your kimono so that we can go to the academy" Keiko sighed her charge just had to be difficult today of all days 'And now she's sulking' Keiko thought amusedly.

"You can pout and sulk all you want Sakura-sama but you still have to get dressed" Keiko huffed out helping the girl into the kimono she had chosen just for that day when Keiko was done tying the obi she looked the little girl over with a critical eye before nodding "It's acceptable Sakura-sama now go brush your hair Oh Shibi-sama" Keiko had just ushered the young girl off when Shibi appeared with Shino at his side "Keiko-san your as strict as ever" Shibi chuckles watching as Shino walked over and took the hair brush Sakura was using away from her.

"Hey that's mine Shino" Sakura cries out angrily standing from her bed to glare at her slightly older brother it had been determined that she was a couple of months younger than Shino "Sit down imouto-chan" Shino teases lightly his rare playful side coming to the forefront still glaring Sakura sits back down facing Shino when he gestures for her to face the other away huffing Sakura turns sulking a few minutes later the brush was being run through her mid-back pink locks all of this was watched by the adults who struggled not to laugh at the two siblings.

"I'm finished" Shino announces 11 minutes later hopping off of his little sister's bed and hands the brush back to the shell-shocked girl smugly "Ok stop antagonizing your sister Shino and Sakura come along now we have about exactly 50 minutes to get to the academy and sign you two up for classes" Shibi notes the time before taking the two children by the hand and leading them out of the Aburame compound through the forest and then through the entire village before finally reaching the academy exactly 35 minutes later 15 minutes to spare Shibi sighs out in relief.

Entering the academy his children in tow Shibi meets their homeroom teacher Iruka Umino before filling out the enrollment packets the academy had one for each of his children before letting them mingle with the other children that would also be enrolling turning to watch when Sakura lets out a happy squeal and attaches herself to a blue-eyed blonde 'Naruto Uzumaki the demon of the Hidden Leaf Village' Shibi thinks a moment later barely restraining himself from ripping his precious little girl away from the horrid boy apparently other childrens parents had the same idea of removing Naruto from Sakura.

Shibi watched on fearing for Sakura as she stayed firmly planted next to the confused boy as a few adults near the two start ordering Naruto away from Sakura "That's enough Uzumaki-san isn't harming her" Shibi defends despite his feelings on the matter and this makes the adults back off "Thanks dad" Sakura hugs him affectionately while staring up at him innocently and Shibi knew he was hooked and he could never deny his daughter anything so if Sakura made friends with Naruto he would accept her decision and not complain because he never wanted his daughter to be upset.

Later on Shibi was working in his office while Sakura and Shino were given there lessons "Ok Sakura-sama today I want to see you use the teleportation jutsu" Keiko ordered and Sakura hopped up concentrated her chakra and her mind on a specific location and disappeared with a light pop before appearing next to her "Very good and now you Shino-sama" Keiko asked frustrated already because she just knew that Shino wouldn't get it again and just like her thoughts the boy failed for the millionth time failing to execute the teleportation jutsu perfectly like his sister was currently doing.

Keiko could tell that Shino was frustrated with himself "Ok Shino-sama why don't you use your jutsu to summon bugs" Keiko smiles kindly at the boy while walking over to the energetic girl "Why Keiko-san, why can't I do that jutsu and she can" Shino's voice calls from behind her and Keiko turns around to see the boy getting ready to throw one of his rare tantrums 'Oh boy' she thought when he started in earnest "It's not fair I'm Shino Aburame the true Aburame Heir and a girl that father picked up on the streets has better chakra control."

The shout fills the room echoing off the baren walls as Shino stomps his little foot "Why can she do things that I can't and why does everyone call her a bug master I'm better with bugs than she is so why" Shino throws his arms up in the air angrily while tears begin coursing down his cheeks "It's not fair, it's not fair, IT'S NOT FAIR" he bellows drawing attention from other clan members "Shino-kun" the words are whispered very softly the hurt in them so clear that it makes Shino stop and finally realize what he had just done.

Tantrum over now Shino is filled with guilt because he had hurt Sakura's feelings massively if the look on her face was any indication skin paling very quickly his father had warned him not to upset Sakura or he would get punished and he had just said the worst thing he could ever say by mentioning her previous lifestyle "I'm sorry Sakura I didn't mean any of that" Shino whispers trying to smile but it comes out as a grimace while he walks over to the crying girl his guilt increasing when she runs from the room sobbing loudly.

Hearing the commotion Shibi exits his office right as Sakura comes running down the hall blinded by her tears and running into inanimate objects Sakura doesn't see him as she races by sobbing instead of going to find out what had happened he would get the story from Keiko later Shibi follows Sakura up the stairs to her room where the sobs increase in volume slowly opening the door Shibi pokes his head into the room to spy Sakura lying on her bed head buried in her pillow shaking violently as sobs rack her little body and enters her room.

Instead of asking what had happened Shibi sits on the bed and pulls Sakura into his arms letting her cry on his shoulder a few minutes later Sakura's shaking slows to a stop and he pulls back holding her at arms length to gaze into her emerald green eyes "Sakura are you alright now" Shibi asks wiping away some tears that roll down her cherubic cheeks "Yes, dad I'll be ok now" Sakura hiccups out but something in her words told Shibi that she clearly wouldn't be ok until whatever upset her was resolved patting her head Shibi stands.

Exiting Sakura's room he heads toward the indoor training room where Keiko and Shino should still be his guess was accurate and suddenly he realized what the problem was because as soon as he entered the room Shino's skin paled and his son threw up his lunch on the floor apparently Shino was feeling very guilty for whatever he said Shibi thought briefly while Keiko cleaned up "I think Sakura being upset with you is enough of a punishment don't you think" Shibi smirks at the boy who nods solemnly "Yes, father do you think she'll forgive me" Shino asks.

"Depends on what it was you said exactly" Shibi bends down in front of his son removing his sunglasses to make sure Shino understood him to prevent this from happening again "I told her that she was just some girl on the streets you brought home" Shino drops his head sadly "Ah and didn't I tell you that mentioning Sakura's life before us was forbidden" Shibi asks strictly "Yes father" Shino gulps thickly "Then you know what you have to do regardless of if Sakura forgives you" Shibi stands putting his sunglasses back "I understand father" and Shino hurriedly escapes.

Shino quickly runs up the stairs and stands in front of Sakura's door panting softly before quietly opening the door to his sister's room to look in Sakura was still laying on her bed but it was apparent that she had fallen asleep her face was rubbed red and tear tracks were still drying on her cheeks "Imouto-chan" he calls out entering and padding across the room "Shino-kun" Sakura gasps awake tears immediately begin pouring down her cheeks again at the sight of him and Shino sighs regretfully but his fathers words make him try to apologize anyway despite this.

Climbing onto the bed Shino quickly reaches out to hug Sakura who struggles to escape his hold "Sakura, please" Shino begs sadly and Sakura stops her movements never before had she heard Shino sound that sad realizing that Shino had Sakura's attention he begins "I'm sorry Sakura I deeply regret hurting you it wasn't right of me to say something like that just because I was frustrated at myself and I know that's no excuse but I reallly don't want you to hate me because of this" Shino breathes out all in one breath before turning and looking at Sakura.

"I don't hate you Shino-kun" Sakura finally gives in to her brothers pleading gaze and forgives him instantly "Does that mean you forgive me" Shino asks hopefully "Yes Shino-kun I forgive you" she gives him a tight side hug before pouting knowing that look on his sisters face Shino chuckles while releasing her from his hold "And Shino-kun there are plenty of things your better at than me" Sakura teases lightly to lighten the sombre mood "Ah" Shino answers back dully before the two burst into laughter Shino chuckling and Sakura giggling until both children were yawning loudly in tiredness.

A few hours later Shibi heads up the stairs to check on his two children first peeking his head into Shino's room only to find him not there before looking into Sakura's room and there on the bed curled around each other on top of the covers were Sakura and Shino sound asleep entering the room Shibi chuckles softly not wanting to wake them as he pulls the cover out from beneath them and lays it over the two gently bending down to place a kiss on Sakura's forehead patting Shino's hair saying a soft goodnight Shibi exits the room.


	6. Growing up Aburame Part 2

-6:00am-

A few days later after the tantrum incident because that's what everyone was calling it Keiko had the two children out in the training field next to the Aburame compound for another lesson "Ok Sakura you remember the handsigns for the summoning jutsu correct you should because I taught them just last week" she asks firmly staring down the cheeky little girl who had the gall to laugh but nod "Of course Keiko-san" Sakura giggles trying but failing to stop smiling at her clearly frustrated caretaker taking a deep breath Sakura goes through the handsigns summoning a tiny plume moth.

"Hello Mistress I'm Tomo and I'm very pleased to meet you" the tiny moth squeaks out "Hello Tomo-kun I'm Sakura Aburame and I'm uh very pleased to meet you as well" Sakura giggles out drawing the attention of Keiko who smiles pleased that Sakura was getting along with Rora's child before turning her attention back onto Shino who was using his clan techniques to draw bugs from all over the field to him after several minutes of concentration a few bugs show up on the chakra web and Shino smirks in triumph causing him to lose concentration breaking the jutsu.

Keiko eyes the pouting boy "Good job Shino-sama keep practicing and you'll get better and better" she praises patting him on his head for a moment before walking over to Sakura who was still happily chatting away with her summons distracted and curious about the moth his sister was conversing with he follows along behind Keiko sneakily smirking when she doesn't notice or so Shino thought but Keiko was quite aware but nonetheless proud of him "Sakura-sama why don't you two play hide and seek and practice your detection skills with Tomo-sama" Keiko smiles when Sakura stares in complete shock.

"Don't look at me like that Sakura-sama I may be strict but I'm not a total meanie as you like to call me and besides this counts as training too" Keiko smirks at the little girl before taking Shino by the hand and dragging him back to their previous spot "Now Shino-sama you still have a long ways to go before you reach you're father's level so I suggest you get back to practicing" Keiko orders watching the pouting boy "How did you know I was there" Shino sulks his male pride shattered for now before trying the jutsu again.

Meanwhile Tomo and Sakura were in the forest doing as Keiko had asked them playing hide and seek so Sakura could practice her shinobi detection skills finding Tomo however was proving to be difficult due to his small size and Keiko hadn't really worked with Sakura yet to focus on finding and recognizing someone's chakra over long distances 'To your left Saku-chan' an inner voice calls aiding her 'Who are you' Sakura calls mentally calls back after stopping on a branch in shock at the voice inside of her head "I'm Inner" the voice answers and appears looking like her.

'No your not your just me' Sakura argues back 'Saku-chan, I'm Inner, I'm your repressed emotions like depression, anger, sadness and all those other negative emotions I was brought to life inside your mind to aid you through life' the girl calls back 'Why now and not like 2 months ago' Sakura snaps angrily causing Inner to wince at the anger 'Because you didn't need me then' Inner replies 'Then why now' Sakura asks again wanting to know 'Living here in the Aburame Compound has added to your burden' Inner snipes out wisely before fading she says one last thing.

'Tomo-kun is ahead of you on the tree that has peach blossom on it' hearing this Sakura focuses her chakra as best she and as her Inner had said the tiny bug was hiding on the tree right in front of her using the teleportation jutsu Sakura appears right next to the bug going completely unnoticed until "Hi Tomo-kun" she speaks right next to him and the little bug squeaks in fright at the proximity of his new mistress "Sakura-sama how did you when did" he speaks quickly and it was clear to Sakura that Tomo was pouting at her.

"Come on Tomo-kun I found you so let's go back and tell Keiko-san" Sakura quips trying not to laugh at the poor creature "Yes let's Sakura-sama" and he zooms off Sakura following him as fast as she could nearly falling off several branches as they race through the tree's back to the Aburame Clan Private Training Grounds hopping off the last branch Sakura was suddenly in open air with no tree's around her 'This is going to hurt' Inner appears suddenly distracting Sakura and then bam they hit the ground with a loud thud "Ouch" Sakura whines out.

Keiko almost laughed 'Almost' she thought as Sakura came flying through the tree's and then she watched in horror as the girl hit the ground denting it with her impact hearing the girl groan in pain Keiko hopped to her feet jarring Shino who was deep in concentration and runs over to Sakura "Sakura-sama are you ok" she ask worriedly "Yeah Keiko-san I just over jumped through the tree's" Sakura sits up rubbing her face before smiling widely at Keiko who shook her head in exasperation "Silly child" she pats Sakura's head before walking back over to Shino who was again pouting.

"Keiko-san, Sakura-sama found me" Tomo took that moment to squeak out hurriedly making Keiko pause in her steps "Well done Sakura-sama" Keiko praises quickly "Ok Shino-sama why don't we try this again" she sits back down in front of Shino who sighs softly before quickly running through the handsigns again he had just put his hand down with the chakra web attached to his finger tips sending a mental call out to bugs all over the training field when Sakura plops down next to him excitedly "Can I try that to Keiko-san" Sakura asks eagerly thus breaking Shino's concentration again.

"Imouto-chan" he growls warningly while Keiko was trying to explain to Sakura the mechanics of the jutsu "Yes Shino-kun" she giggles recognizing the warning "Please if your going to learn for my sake do it quietly" he huffs out "Ok Shino" Sakura smiles softly before concentrating on trying the jutsu out for herself her tongue poking between her lips as she sets the chakra web down on the ground and mentally calling out to bugs on the field and moments later it was filled from top to bottom with every kind of bug imaginable, Shino gives a long suffering sigh.

"Hehe oops" Sakura pouts knowing that Shino was angry with her for getting the jutsu on her first try "I'm not angry Imouto-chan" Shino says a moment later reading Sakura's body language with ease not wanting to argue today Sakura says nothing and sits there quietly allowing Shino to concentrate on his own chakra web a minute later multiple bugs were on it Shino managed to hold this jutsu for exactly 15 minutes before he loses control of the jutsu and it breaks apart sending the bugs scurrying away from him once they were free of Shino's chakra net jutsu.

-6:35am-

"Come on you two it's time for you guys to get to the academy for your first day of classes" Keiko calls out and the two stand dust their clothes off before waving and heading to the academy on the other side of the village barely making it in time entering the classroom Sakura spots Naruto sitting next to a black-haired boy and she runs over to sit in between the two giving Naruto a side hug all of this draws the attention of Shikamaru who had been trying to nap but Sakura just had to be noisy.

"Hey pipe down can't you see I'm trying to sleep here" he mumbles lazily gaining the pink-haired girls attention "You know classes are meant for learning not for sleeping" she says smartly making Naruto laugh "And who exactly are you anyway I didn't see you at the Enrollment Ceremony" she asks again "It's to much of a drag to pay attention I'd much rather be cloud watching and I'm Shikamaru Nara" he introduces himself thumping his head back on his desk when he was finished causing Sakura to shake her head 'This guy is so totally weird' she thought internally.

"I'm Sakura Aburame" she introduces herself quietly a little upset that he hadn't asked her to introduce herself before she could further that train of thought Iruka their classes instructor came in through the door and classes began that day they had to write a resume and then go through a lot of tests, like endurance training and weapon accuracy and everything else before they were released from the academy and it was two weary children that trudged into the Aburame compound later that evening exhausted from all they had done that day so they ate then headed to bed.

*Author's Note:

Hey everyone I hope your enjoying the snippets from Sakura's Childhood because I sure am they are just so fluffy and cute that it's unbelievably hard not to squeal out loud anyways I'd like to take the time to thank everyone who has read the new chapters I'm going to continue extending the chapters and there is plenty more chapters left of Sakura's childhood that I'm going to write and then I'm going to be going back through the other chapters and giving some other people more story time in each chapter answer questions and every thing else.

Once I'm finished with all the extra I'll be continuing on from where I left off I plan on making this the biggest story I've ever written and I'll be continuing to challenge myself also constructive critisism is appreciated because like I say on the prologue's author note I'm trying to improve as best I can so that people can enjoy my stories without being confused that is a constant point of irritation for me having someone message me asking a question and not understanding the plot line of the chapter also I'm terrible at pronouns and all that other stuff anyways thank you for all the reviews and I hope you continue to read.

P.S. Try not to be to rude with your critisism as I am very sensitive so try to be nice


	7. Growing up Aburame Part 3

Several weeks later as per the usual Shino and Sakura rose early and headed to the academy when they got there it was in utter chaos apparently Naruto had chosen that particular morning to pull a prank on the Academy Teachers Sakura really couldn't blame Naruto for acting out against the adults who seemed to hate him with a passion so when the two sibling got into the classroom Sakura headed straight for Naruto who had chosen to sit at the back of the classroom that day "Good Morning Naruto-kun" she smiles at the blonde pulling him into a hug.

"Hey Sakura-chan" he mumbles returning her hug 'Ok he just isn't Naruto if he's not excited and bubbly' Inner chose that moment to appear and Sakura silently agreed with her "Psst Naruto how about I help you practice jutsu's later" she offers wanting to see Naruto smile like usual and yep there it was that 10,000 watt smile as the boy comes out of his depression "Heck Yeah Sakura-chan I promise I won't let you down" Naruto grins hugging Sakura tightly before falling silent as Iruka comes into the classroom paying unusual attention to his lessons that day before lunchtime.

During lunch Sakura quietly ate her bento Keiko had packed for her she had just finished and was preparing to head back in when a blonde female following a black-haired boy come storming over to her "Hey what's the big fuss over you anyway" the blonde opens her mouth and Sakura instantly disliked her "HEY I ASKED YOU A QUESTION FOREHEAD GIRL" she shrieks and Sakura scowls at her "What did you just call me" Sakura pauses mid step "I called you forehead girl" the blonde says slowly as if Sakura was dumb "Excuse me, who are you" Sakura asks.

"I'm the heir to the Yamanaka clan Ino Yamanaka and what's your's forehead girl" Ino insults again further irritating Sakura "It's Sakura Aburame Ino-pig" Sakura insults right back causing Ino to gasp and start crying and this causes the little boy standing next to Ino to speak up "Hey that was rude" he glares at her harshly and Sakura shrugs "I don't care because she definitely started it first" she answers glaring right back "You two had no right to come over here and bother me when I wasn't doing anything wrong" Sakura spins on her heel and stalks off.

"Hey nobody ignores Sasuke Uchiha" it was apparent Ino was done crying because she was back to shrieking again "I don't care who he is or who you are so buzz off" Sakura scowls over her shoulder at them before disappearing right before their eyes this pisses Sasuke off because he had been practicing that jutsu just the other day and he couldn't even perform it but that girl with pink hair could 'It's official I really don't like her' Sasuke thought sourly ignoring the still screeching blonde next to him as his thoughts consume him making him feel depressed.

Meanwhile Sakura had safely arrived at her new destination but it became readily apparent that the spot was already taken because the minute she had appeared Shikamaru Nara who had been watching clouds again hopped up and stared at her "Why are you here" he asks accusingly now he would have to find a new place to hide during lunch "Hiding from Ino-san and Sasuke-san" Sakura answers bleakly "Oh" Shikamaru's energy fizzles and he slumps back to the ground before patting the spot next to him "Want to cloud watch with me" he asks and Sakura shrugs before sitting down.

"Sure how do you cloud watch" Sakura asks curiously if she was being completely honest with herself Shikamaru had captured her attention from day one sure he was lazy and lacked complete motivation for anything but the kid was super smart and he hid it so well that the teachers had no idea that he was even hiding it "Well for one you have to be quiet" Shikamaru quips "And two you lay back on the ground" Shikamaru laid down his hands pillowing his head before staring up at the sky prompting Sakura to do the same and lay down.

'Oh this is nice' Sakura thought sleepily suddenly understanding why Shikamaru did this all the time 'Maybe if I just close my eyes' Sakura's eyes drift closed as a light breeze ruffles her pink hair and suddenly she found herself lightly napping 20 minutes later the end of lunch bell rings and Sakura jumps to her feet in a panic dragging Shikamaru up by the arm she pushes herself as fast as possible making it just in time to squeeze into the classroom Shikamaru still being towed along by the arm and up the steps to her seat panting heavily.

"What the heck Sakura-chan you look like you just ran a marathon" Naruto looks her over laughing loudly "Oh you idiot" Sakura huffs affectionately sitting her seat sandwhiched between the two boys right as Iruka enters the classroom "Alright class this afternoon we have shuriken practice and taijutsu spars" Iruka announces gathering the class into a single file line and leading them out onto the academy training grounds "Ok First up is Aburame Sakura" Iruka calls out and Sakura steps up to the 5 targets pulls out her shuriken and with deadly accuracy hits all 5 in the dead center.

"Good next Aburame Shino" while Shino was up Naruto took the time to praise Sakura in awe "Can you really teach me that Sakura-chan" he asks hopefully grinning widely when she nods soon enough they were moving onto the taijutsu spar and of course Sakura was pitted against Sasuke "What's the matter meiwaku to afraid to fight me" Sasuke insults causing Sakura to stiffen in fury "Sasuke-teme" she insults right back before jumping forward and knocking the boy right off his feet she was declared winner of the match and she stepped back into line while Sasuke was absolutely furious.

When all the matches had been finished they are set free for the rest of the day and Sakura drags Naruto off to practice several hours later she is satisfied with the amount of progress the blonde had made before dragging herself home to eat a late dinner, then head up to her room take a quick shower and sprawl out on her bed utterly exhausted and that's how she spent the next several weeks cloud watching with Shikamaru during lunch and training Naruto at the end of the day until one day when Shikamaru approaches her in worried panic.

When the two siblings enter the classroom the next morning Shikamaru runs over to Sakura once Shino had sat down at his own desk Sakura never having seen Shikamaru do anything like this before was decidely confused as he drags them up to their desks at the back of the room "Sakura I need your help" Shikamaru whispers in her ear when they had sat down "What's wrong Shika-kun" she asks forehead creased in worry "This morning when I went to pick up Choji I couldn't find him anywhere" Shikamaru whispers hurriedly as Iruka enters the classroom to begin class.

"And you want me to help you look for him during lunch right" Sakura aptly guesses smirking internally when Shikamaru nods done with the conversation she looks towards the front of the class to see Iruka beginning his lecture on world history apparently it was going to be learn all about the Leaf's History day and so Sakura took notes making an extra set to give to Naruto later so that she could drill him about it later on in the week when she knew they would be having a big test finally after 3 hours the lunchtime bell rings.

Stacking her notes neatly in a pile Sakura stands and stretches before following Shikamaru out of the classroom Naruto tagging along until all three stop "Naruto what are you doing" Sakura asks trying and failing not to giggle "I'm coming to" Naruto answers determined to go with the two Shikamaru was about to tell Naruto no when Sakura lays her hand on Shikamaru's arm "Naruto we aren't going to be playing a game this is serious Shikamaru's friend Choji-san is missing" Sakura says seriously "Yeah but why can't I come" he asks sadly really wanting to be included in this.

"Maybe next time Naruto when I teach you the jutsu we are going to be using" Sakura replies pulling the weepy eyed boy into a hug and then taking Shikamaru by the hand and hauling them out the academy doors to disappear "Sakura where the heck did you learn that jutsu" Shikamaru asks when they touch down on ground a moment later "Oh Keiko-san taught me and Shino" Sakura laughs briefly "Now Shikamaru do you have anything of Choji-san's that carries his scent" she asks putting her wild pink hair up in a loose bun "Yeah" Shikamaru answers the question.

"Ok just set it down and let me do the rest" Sakura goes through the handsigns she had made every day for weeks now biting her thumb and swiping her palm with the blood "Plume Moth Summoning Jutsu" she calls out slamming her hand down on the ground "Sakura-sama" the squeaky voice of Tomo calls out "Tomo-kun can I ask a favor of you" Sakura asks biting her lip the bug flies up and down in acquiesce "Shikamaru's friend has gone missing his scent is on that bag can you lead us to Choji-san" she asks "Of course" Tomo squeaks.

Both kids watch as Tomo flies near the chip back and then come flying back "Sakura-sama I've got a scent" he squeaks out pleased with himself "Good job Tomo-kun now lead us to Choji-san" Sakura orders and bug zips off Sakura dragging Shikamaru behind her as she tries to keep up with the tiny bug losing focus of him several times before 'Hey Saku-chan put chakra behind your eyes to enhance your sight' Inner yells from within nearly making Sakura trip over a tree branch but doing exactly as her Inner had told her Sakura puts chakra behind her eyes.

And suddenly she could see so much better that also included seeing Tomo and Sakura speeds up keeping even with the tiny bug she was going so fast that she nearly misses Tomo stopping but she manages it without making a to big a fool out of herself "Choji" Shikamaru yells from next to her and she turns her head to see the Akamichi boy from class that sometimes sat next to Shikamaru "Shikamaru what are you doing here" Choji was sitting on a bench but he wasn't eating like usual instead he looked like someone had really hurt him.

"When I couldn't find you this morning did you think I wouldn't come looking for you" Shikamaru scolds missing Choji's expression when he closes his eyes "No I just didn't think you'd find me" Choji sniffles softly beginning to cry Sakura having watched this dismisses Tomo making note of the time and walks over to Choji "Why are you crying Choji-san" she asks sitting next to him "Because Ami called me fat again and now Shikamaru's upset with me" Choji sobs lightly tears spilling down his pudgy cheeks "No Choji-san, Shikamaru wasn't upset at you" Sakura shakes her head determinedly.

"He was worried about you Choji-san all morning you should have seen him he was like a mother hen fussing over her baby chick when it gets lost" Sakura giggles making Choji laugh his tears slowing seeing this Sakura hugged the little boy before gesturing for Shikamaru to join them on the other side of the bench where they spend the rest of lunch laughing and giggling and that's where Choji's parents find them Choza laughed in amusement he had been honestly expecting to have to cheer his son up again but apparently his friends had that taken care of.

"Ok you three you kids should be heading back to the academy you have about 10 minutes to get there before your late for your afternoon classes" Choza smiles down at them about to offer to take them back to the academy when the little pink-haired girl jumps up from her seat on the bench pulling Shikaku's son and his own down with before perfectly executing the teleportation jutsu right before his eyes 'Well I'll be' Choza laughs in his thoughts meanwhile the three kids appeared in front of the academy rushing through the doors so they wouldn't be late.

After the kids were let out Sakura dragged Naruto off to their training spot Choji and Shikamaru joining them this time "Oh did you guys want to train with us" Naruto pipes up curiously looking at each other the two boys shrug "Sure" before sitting down next to Naruto who was looking at Sakura expectantly "Ok Sakura-chan you promised to teach me how to tree walk today" Naruto huffs out causing Sakura to laugh "Of course Naruto" she answers before walking over to a tree and walks right up it causing the three boys to gasp in surprise and awe.

"Cool" Naruto's eyes sparkle excitedly as Sakura walks up the entire tree before free falling and landing on her feet much like a cat "Ok who wants to go first" Sakura asks grinning when Naruto hops up eagerly "Me Sakura-chan" he screams before falling silent "Naruto wants the number one rule of being a ninja" Sakura asks hands on her hips and exasperation in her eyes "Ninja's are supposed to be quiet otherwise they lose the element of surprise" Naruto reels off quickly "Good Job" Sakura praises the boy sweetly before showing Naruto how to tree climb using his chakra.

Upon seeing Naruto doing the jutsu Choji speaks up shyly "Can I try" he asks "Of course Choji" Sakura grins softly at the little boy before showing him how to apply chakra to his feet and showing him a few times before he finally gets it right "Good Job Choji-kun" Sakura praises loudly before turning to Shikamaru who looked like he was about to hurt someone Shikamaru had watched this with barely concealed jealousy "Do you want to try to Shika-kun" Sakura asks worriedly "Yes though it will be a drag" Shikamaru says before hopping up but not to fast.

The reason for this was he didn't want Sakura to make fun off him "Ok Shikamaru" Sakura explains walking up the tree before showing him how to apply chakra to his feet hours later the four split up heading to their individual homes two of the four a little tired because they learned how to manipulate their chakra somewhat while Naruto was only mildly affected Sakura wasn't affected at all becaus of all the training she received along side Shino, Sakura got home ate another late dinner before heading to bed almost wanting it to be the next day already.


	8. Growing up Aburame Part 4

Sakura and just turned 8 and Shibi decided that it was time for his two children to understand that Death came with being a shinobi and so he pulled them out of classes for the next two weeks "Shino, Sakura we are going on a trip" he tells them when Sakura squeals excitedly patting her head Shibi smiles grimly hoping that this didn't ruin the girl and destroy her innocence Sakura really was like a fragile little flower and Shibi really didn't want her to not be her bubbly and excitable self but he regardless he knew it had to happen.

"Where are we going Father" Shino who had been oddly silent until that moment chose that moment to ask when his sister's excitement fades "We are going to visit your uncle Akuyaku Aburame" Shibi announces the name causes Shino to grasp Sakura's hand and pull her close obviously his son knew exactly what was going to happen as he had explained this to Shino a long time ago in order to prepare him for when Shibi decided it was time the only person who didn't know what was about to happen was Sakura sighing Shibi leads the children silently.

"Dad what's going on" persecptive as usual Sakura had picked on the two males body language it was telling her that something was about to happen and that she really wouldn't like it "Be quiet now Sakura" Shino shushes her clenching her hand tightly this causes Sakura to look at Shino fear clear in her emerald green eyes an hour later the three arrive on the outskirts of the village and Shibi knocks on the door to his dead wife's brothers home a few minutes later the door opens and a voice beckons them into the house tensing Shibi enters.

"Akuyaku you know what I have come for" Shibi's voice is loud in the silence and then a man appears wearing the standard Aburame Clan clothes "Of course Shibi how could I not" Akuyaku grins at the two children standing next to Shibi "Wait two I thought you only had Shino-kun" Akuyaku turns accusing angry brown eyes on Shibi "Sakura is as much an Aburame as Shino is, she may not be mine by blood but she is still my daughter" Shibi snaps out causing the older man to take a step back as the kikiachu within Shibi start hissing.

"Ok I understand" Akuyaku raises his hands defensively and the noise dies down at Shibi reigns in his anger "So you want both of them to go through the test then" Akuyaku asks when it was quiet in his little home again "Yes" Shibi answers immediately "I'll return them to you in two weeks then" Akuyaku takes the two 8 year olds by the hands and then disappears before Shibi's eyes alone now Shibi drops gracelessly in a chair it was going to be a long two weeks, Shibi would spend every day of those two weeks worrying about them.

Meanwhile Akuyaku appeared further into the forest and dropped the two kids off "Survive" is what he told them before leaving them alone "Shino what's going on" Sakura asks shakily "It's a test Imouto-chan we have to survive two weeks out here on our own one of us may die" Shino answers solemnly "Oh" Sakura responds suddenly calm she had survived for years on her own and she could do it again "Come on Shino-kun we have to find shelter, food and water before nightfall" Sakura announces ticking the items off on her fingers as they walk through the forest.

'Saku-chan enhance your hearing with chakra I bet you'll hear something interesting' Inner's voice calls out but the girl doesn't appear doing as Inner had told her Sakura apply chakra to her ears and off to the left is the sound of rushing water "Let's go this way Shino" Sakura drags slightly older brother along behind her by the hand as they break through some tree's and their in a clearing is everything she had listed Sakura grins widely "Now all we have to do is gather some food and firewood" Sakura ticks off again looking around for said things.

"Sakura how do you know all this" Shino asks before she can rush off he had been expecting to have to comfort her and do all the work but no he just couldn't get a normal sibling that cried about normal things "Oh well you know how I lived before dad took me in right" Sakura grimaces the pain of her past clear in her expression "Oh" Shino's next words fizzle "I'll collect the firewood you catch some fish and gather some berries" Shino offers before rushing from the clearing not wanting to upset Sakura anymore than she clearly was.

A few hours later the fire was roaring and a few fish were being cooked on some sticks "Shino the fish are done" Sakura pipes up without looking up from her book "Sakura we are out here in the middle of no where and your studying I'll never understand the female brain" Shino rolls his eyes when Sakura sticks her tongue out at him "Well yeah Shino if we don't study then we'll be behind in classes and there is no way I'm letting Sasuke-san take my spot at the top of the class" Sakura answers smartly grabbing a fish.

Doing the same Shino takes a bite and nearly eats it whole "Sakura what did you put on this fish" he asks refraining from scarfing the fish down "Just some herbs I picked" Sakura responds flippantly while turning a page with one hand and taking a small bite from her fish with the other deciding that there was no harm in it Shino scoots over to sit next to Sakura and together they read their book taking down notes and finishing their dinner before climbing into the shelter and falling asleep for the night huddling close because of the cold.

While the two were out there during their survival test Shikamaru and Naruto were being bullied Naruto more so than Shikamaru "So Dope where's meiwaku at" Sasuke asks walking up to Naruto's desk at the back of the room "Stop calling Sakura-chan that" Naruto scowls at the Uchiha "Did meiwaku give up and drop out finally" Sasuke ignores Naruto's words and asks again "For your information Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan and Shino have been pulled out of class by their dad for the next two weeks for a test" Naruto screams drawing other people's attention this included Ino who couldn't resist gossip.

"Are you sure that's were they are maybe forehead girl decided you weren't worth training anymore and stayed home with bug boy" Ino quips harshly oh yes she knew all about Naruto's training and she was jealous because Naruto had passed her in strength and abilities and knew more than she did all because of that pink-haired freak "Sakura-chan wouldn't do that" came from Naruto's right "Shikamaru now your defending forehead girl" Ino was angrier than ever "Sakura-chan this, Sakura-chan that she is all anybody can ever talk about" it was clear that Ino was about to throw a tantrum.

"WHAT ABOUT ME IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THAT PINK-HAIRED FREAK I'D BE AT THE TOP OF THE CLASS" Ino screams attracting the attention of Iruka who runs into the classroom with a disapproving expression "Ino-san head to the principles office" Irukia orders causing Ino to start sobbing but exit the classroom as Iruka had told her "Does anyone else have anything they want to say about Sakura-san" he asks a frown on his lips "No Iruka-sensei" the entire class calls back Sasuke wisely remaining quiet because he most certainly didn't want to get in trouble with his dad again.

As for the two siblings the two weeks almost pass relatively easily until it was on the last day that something truly terrible happened a boy a few years older than them appeared in the area they had been staying in chasing a woman holding a baby he killed the woman ruthlessly before slitting the childs throat Shino and Sakura masked their chakra and hid behind a genjutsu Keiko had taught Sakura when she realized that Sakura had an aptitude for them while waiting for the boy to leave so they could go check on the woman and the baby.

When they were certain the boy was gone they climbed out of their shelter right as Akuyaku came flying through the tree's seeing the scene before his eyes he looked to the two children to see what they would do it became apparent that Sakura was having to hold Shino back "Shino-kun it's to late there isn't anything we can do" Sakura cried lightly mourning the two while Shino struggled in her arms "Damn it Imouto-chan let me go" Shino curses softly before falling limp in Sakura's arms when it was clear he couldn't get loose instead choosing to glare.

"Sakura-chan is right Shino-kun there isn't anything that we can do for them now" Akuyaku had been looking for the woman and her child but had apparently gotten there to late Itachi Uchiha had slaughtered the entire clan and the 3rd hokage was afraid that Itachi would also go after the Uchiha outside the village Akuyaku was worried because the two Aburame children were out there in the forest and so he had hurried as fast as he could "Why would someone do that" Shino shouts angrily falling on the ground with a plop when Sakura decided to release him.

"Who knows maybe being the heir to his clan made him snap" Akuyaku chuckles nervously not revealing the real reason Itachi had killed his clan all except for Sasuke "Are you saying that we could turn out that way" Sakura's head snaps up rage in her eyes for even implying that she or even Shino could ever want to kill their family "No are you mad girl" Akuyaku glares before sighing when he realizes getting into a fight with the girl would just bring him down to her childish level instead he turns his attention onto Shino who looked defeated.

"Shino-kun that's what happens when you become a shinobi death happens and there is nothing you can do to prevent it" Akuyaku quotes hoping to make his point simply "I understand uncle can we go home now" Shino sighs tiredly sounding years older "Of course come on children" Akuyaku grabs the two and takes them home Shibi happy to see his children send them to bed early while dragging Akuyaku to his office to get the report when Akuyaku had left Shibi mulls over the information before deciding that there wasn't much he could except for love his children more.

The next day Shino and Sakura entered the classroom quietly both more quiet than usual as they head to their seats when Sakura sits down Naruto pulls her into a hug which Sakura happily returns before facing forward as Iruka begins class during lunch she cloud watches with Shikamaru and then after school she trains Naruto all with a pained smile on her lips Naruto was completely oblivious so when Sakura headed home for the night Naruto was so happy with his progress that he completely missed the tears that fell down Sakura's cheeks she was clearly upset about something.

Shikamaru knew however so he watched his friend closely over the next few weeks until he was sure whatever had upset her was no longer affecting Sakura when she started smiling more brightly and laughing again Shikamaru was relieved and thats when he knew that for whatever reason he liked the pink-haired girl that liked to cloud watch with him 'What a drag' Shikamaru chuckled in his thoughts 'Women are troublesome but Sakura is definitely worth the trouble' he thought again this time a smile on his lips as he watched Sakura interact with her friends slightly jealous of them.


	9. Growing up Aburame Part 5 The End

They had done it Sakura squealed happily as she spun herself and Naruto around after the academy had let out for the last time 'For us anyway' Inner appeared clutching a book before disappearing before Sakura could ask "Sakura-chan thank you if you hadn't of helped me I probably wouldn't have graduated" Naruto laughs loudly pulling her out of her thoughts "Of course Naruto your welcome besides it's not right if we don't graduate together" Sakura responds flippantly while Naruto grins his blue eyes sparkling like the sun shining down on a lake anything that had water to be honest.

With Naruto distracted again Sakura slips back into her thoughts thinking about the girl that called herself Inner over the last several years the girl had begun changing at first she had dark pink hair and dark forest green eyes but as Sakura herself got older Inner had changed as well first her hair had begun lightening until it became stark white and a purple sheen to it and her eyes they turned dark emerald green with purple flecks in the irises and Sakura wanted to know why but everytime she asked Inner remained tight lipped always leaving Sakura irritated.

"Hey Sakura-chan let's race" Naruto pulls her out of her thoughts again and Sakura nods "Ready to eat my dust Naruto" Sakura laughs teasingly "No way Sakura-chan today I'm totally beating you" Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly proving that no amount of training or practice would get rid of his bubbly and childish personality "Get ready on your mark set GO" Sakur yells the last word pushing chakra to her feet and leaping ahead of Naruto laughing the whole way to their proclaimed finish line a minute later Naruto shows up pouting like usual after one of their races.

"Ah that's not fair Sakura-chan" Naruto sulks but brightens when Sakura pulls out a stack of "Is that what I think it is Sakura-chan" he hops up excitedly holding himself back just barely from tackling the girl into a hug as he recognizes the stamps on the tickets "Are all of those really Ichiraku Ramen coupons" Naruto's whole body twitches as he restrains himself while Sakura nods at his question "I'm 13 Naruto I have lots of other ways to collect them now" Sakura snickers before handing the entire stack of coupons to Naruto who tackles her to the ground.

"Call it a graduation gift Naruto anyways I have to head home so see you tomorrow" Sakura waves to the distracted blonde before walking through the village as an academy student one last time before they became official genin when she arrived home Keiko was waiting for her "In the dining room" and Sakura a meal with her dad and brother before heading up the stairs to wash her long hair and then fell on her bed curling up in the center drifting off to sleep dreaming of sweet dreams and of course of what teammates she would be having.


	10. The Jonin's in Charge

It was the day after the academy graduation ceremony so Hiruzen had gathered the available jonin to assign genin teams to "Ok first up is Team Seven they will be Sakura Aburame, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha" the hokage read of his list before looking up and gazing at the four adults in front of him "Their Sensei will be" here he trailed off "Anko Mitarashi" he finishes and just as he had been expecting the purple-haired woman started arguing "Why the hell do I have to lead a group of brats" Anko hisses stopping when Hiruzen raises a hand.

"I'll explain later Team 8 will be Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga and their teams sensei will be Kurenai Yuuhi" Hiruzen quickly assigns the team to the woman before saying the last one "And Team 10 will be Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi their sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi" Hiruzen finishes before dismissing all but Anko and Kakashi from his office knowing this would a long and agonizing explanation he takes a puff of his pipe before releasing the smoke slowly as he thought of how he could explain this to them with out a fight.

"I assigned you to team 7 Anko because I need Kakashi to help me around the village he is one of my best" Hiruzen finally sighs out bluntly when he couldn't off anymore and seeing no other way to explain it "Dont think I'll pass the little brats" Anko smirks haughtily "Anko the three that you've been assigned are the best three the academy have seen in years" Hiruzen signs apparently his explanation hadn't been enough and now he had to make the woman see it his way otherwise they would never make it to chunin or anything else really.

"Fine I'll pass the brats but I'll make it so hard that they'll beg you to give them a different sensei" Anko scowls popping away leaving the two men alone in the office "Sheesh that woman is scary" Kakashi chuckles lightly while reading his book "Indeed" Hiruzen sighs before dismissing Kakashi from his office so that he could get back to work why on earth he ever wanted to become Hokage he didn't know one thing he knew was that he definitely needed to pass down the position to someone else because he was getting to old to continue on.

Meanwhil Anko reported into Ibiki "Hey Scarface the Hokage's just assigned me as a jonin sensei to some brats" she seethed hardly fazing Ibiki but scaring some of the new anbu recruits "I already know that Mitarashi" Ibiki snaps back head buried in work and to busy to deal with the insane woman "IBIKI" Anko sang out trying to unnerve the man but he stayed unmoving "Your no fun" she pouts before leaving Ibiki to his work 'Ooh maybe I'll go check out my genin brats' Anko thought grinning wildly as she almost skipped through town having fun scaring people.

Before she could go much further Anko passes by her favorite tea and Dango shop 'What the heck I'll meet them tomorrow anyway' she thought entering the shop and ordering several orders of dango and of course the complimentary green tea once the order is placed in front of her she digs in eating quickly and soon she was paying and leaving the shop heading home she showers before laying on her bed thinking up the best way to scare her genin brats before slowling drifting off into sleep the next day she wakes early and heads to the academy.

When all the other brats had left with their sensei's Anko spyed on the three that had been assigned to her 'Are you kidding me these brats are nothing' was Anko's first thought as she watched them interact with one another it was apparent that the blonde haired boy and pink-haired girl were friends and nothing could separate them and it was clear that they both disliked the Uchiha boy who was staring off into space obviously they were waiting for her so she would make them wait a while longer so that she could study and understand them easily.

While waiting Anko watched them closely Sasuke stood and walked around the classroom clearly agitated before settling back down in his seat next to the window far away from the other two while Sakura and Naruto started playing a game it was clear after a few minutes that Sakura was winning because Naruto stood up pouting and whining about something and it being completely unfair to Sakura just shrugs but smiles and hugs Naruto which settles him down and they start the game over apparently the girl was smart 'I bet that's all she has going for her' Anko snickers.

Anko is distracted when Iruka comes back into the classroom to tell them something again she couldn't hear because she wasn't really interested when Iruka leaves the classroom Sakura gives off a sigh before smiling as wide as she could while keeping Naruto distracted from how late it had become 'I bet they think I'm some old guy' Anko frowns at the thought but doesn't leave her spot 30 minutes later she watches Sakura sigh for the 37th time it was clear the wait time was getting even to her because she had finally given up trying to distract Naruto.

20 minutes later an angry expression crosses the girls face as she clearly slips into her thoughts with this Anko had seen enoug and leaving her hiding spot jumps down startling Iruka and standing before the door to the classroom she hears one of them complaining from inside the room taking a deep breath and placing a crazy grin on her lips scaring Iruka further who wonders worriedly how the three would fare with this woman as their sensei before kicking the door open and flying through the now open space drawing the three brats attention as she stops suddenly.


	11. I'm your crazy Sensei Anko Mitarashi

"Sakura come along" Shino called to his sister it was the morning after they had received their shinobi headbands and the both of them had to get back to the academy "Hold on Shino I can't find my senbon pouch" Sakura came trailing out of her room pouting only to pause in surprise when Shino holds the pouch out to her "I held onto it because I knew that if I didn't it would get lost" he answers simply grinning behind the collar of his coat when Sakura glares at him huffing in irritation.

"Your a meanie" she dubs before stalking passed him and down the stairs where she stops in front of the door that was being blocked by Shibi "My children I am very proud of you uphold the Aburame family name but most important of all become great genin, chunin, jonin and so on to help protect the village" Shibi hugs Sakura kissing her on the top of her head allowing himself to be a little more affectionate with the girl after his speech before shaking Shino's hand and ushering the two of them out the door so they wouldn't be late.

"Bye Dad/Father" both teens call out pushing chakra into their feet and taking to the rooftops making it to the academy in record time "I so won that time" Sakura pumps her arm up in the air and turns smugly to Shino who shakes his head at his sisters antics before he can say anything "SASUKE-KUN" a loud screech from behind him makes both of the Aburame's cringe recognizing the voice as Ino Yamanaka "I feel sorry for whatever guy marries her" Sakura rubs her ears trying to get them to stop aching.

Silently agreeing with Sakura Shino gestures for her to precede him into the building and into their classrooms where they would be meeting their jonin sensei's heading to the back of the class as per usual he stops "Sakura no matter who you have on your team just remember teamwork is more important than holding old grudges" Shino was talking about her grudge against Sasuke and Ino the two that had made her academy days hell just because she understood everything Iruka-sensei was talking about.

"Sakura-chan" Naruto appears behind her staying as far away from Shino as possible even though he was Sakura's brother "Yes Naruto" Sakura turns and smiles wondering how anyone could ever hate him once you got past his pranks and perpetual dumbness Naruto was actually very sweet and courageous not to mention brave, she had become fast friends with the dorky blonde but she wouldn't trade him or any of her friends speaking of another friend he was slowly walking into the classroom looking utterly bored.

"Oh I hope we get on the same team" Naruto bounces down to his seat once he realizes that he had lost Sakura's attention "Hey Shikamaru" she greets when he sits next to her and lays his head on the desk already appearing to be asleep the only way she could he wasn't was the small muttering he gave her "Hello Sakura" before falling silent "Alright listen up everyone as of today your now genin so congratulations" Iruka appears and the class settles down into their seats eagerly awaiting to hear who their jonin instructor would be.

"Team 7 is Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Aburame, and Sasuke Uchiha" Iruka calls out before moving on and telling the rest of the new genin their teams 'Ugh why does it have to be Sasuke' Sakura whines internally before breathing deeply and looking at her other teammate "So Naruto it looks like we are on a team together" she grins hugging him tightly before turning and staring at Sasuke who was looking at them a scowl on his lips and hate in his eyes "Losers" Sasuke grumbled out before moving far away from them.

"Hey Shika who did you get" Sakura asks his gesture is enough only two people could get him to act like that "Oh" she giggles at the boy before standing up and moving to Shino who was already surrounded by his teammates "Sakura good luck" he nods his head before getting up to greet his sensei and soon enough only Sakura and her two teammates were left in the room 'Cha our sensei is late why do we have to get a sensei who is late' Inner screeches rampaging around the confines of Sakura's head.

All of a sudden a loud bang jerks Sakura out of her thoughts as a purple-haired woman busts through the door to the classroom "Listen up you brats I'm your sensei Mitarashi Anko" Anko grins maliciously scaring the two boys but the girl remains indifferent to her tactics 'So pinky is a tough one ehh' Anko smiles before barking out "You have 5 minutes to get to the roof if you guys are late well your punishment won't be pleasant" and disappears with a handsign causing Naruto to panic.

"Ahhhhhhh what are we gonna do it takes about 10 minutes to get up there we are never gonna make it" he yells running around in a circle eyes wide in horror "Naruto calm down" Sakura steps up and before Sasuke can protest grabs both of their hands and with amazing chakra control does the same thing their sensei had done and transports the three of them to the room with 3 minutes to spare much to the shock of Anko who was looking forward to doling out some grueling training to her new students.

"Well at least one of you has some prior training what's your name pinky" Anko laughs pointing at the pink-haired girl that was proving to be at least to her an amusing girl "Its Sakura Aburame Mitarashi-sensei" Sakura nods her head respectfully "Main or Branch" Anko asks again eyes narrowing in thought "Main Family Mitarashi-sensei" Sakura bows her head again "Huh didn't know Shibi had a daughter" Anko asks aloud in thought not really expecting Sakura to answer her but blinks in shock when she does.

"I'm adopted I was brought into the house when I was 5" Sakura admits drawing the curiosity of both Sasuke and Naruto who hadn't known anything about the mysterious girl that had shown up one day along with Shino "Well brat are you full of bugs as well" Anko asks interested "No but I can summon a horde of plume moths that are very poisonous" she admits again causing Naruto to gulp in fear and Sasuke to back away from her before shaking his head "Hey what about us she isn't the only one here you know" he gripes drawing Anko's attention.

"Well now that you've drawn my attention what's your name you little punk" Anko glares at him effectively scaring Sasuke into taking another step away from the purple-haired woman that was to be his sensei "It's Sasuke Uchiha" he snaps trying not to show fear as she smiles at him her teeth gleaming in the sunlight "Well good for you and you blondie what's your name" she asks already knowing but asking anyway "I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to become the next Hokage" Naruto boasts drawing a laugh from the two females.

"Well you sure are a lively group of genin" Anko admits rubbing the back of her head when all three of the teens stare at her "Anyways meet at training ground 13 at 4:00am and don't be late" she warns menacingly before poofing away in another cloud of smoke "I like her" Sakura laughs gleefully causing her two male teammates to stare at her like she was crazy "Well if Sakura-chan likes her then so do I" Naruto exclaims boldly even though the purple-haired woman had scared the hell out of him.

"Whatever" Sasuke grumbles walking away when both Naruto and Sakura stare at him "So Naruto how would you like it if I picked you up for your place tomorrow morning so that we aren't late and then we could swing by and get Sasuke and head to the training grounds see if we can't impress Anko-sensei" Sakura gives a giggle when Naruto nods eagerly at her suggestion "Well Naruto I have to get home and tell my dad the good news" she smiles sweetly waving and disappearing while Naruto heads home to his little apartment alone.

Arriving in front of the compound Sakura see's Shino hesitating in front of the door and smiles mischievously masking her chakra as they had been taught when they were younger and steps lightly reaching out to scare him only to squeal in shock when he turns suddenly a serious look of contemplation on his face only to blink in surprise when he registers that Sakura was standing behind him "How long have you been standing there" he asks praying that she hadn't seen his mini break-down.

"Just a few minutes" Sakura admits once she had calmed down "Oh" he raises his eyebrows before turning back around and opening the door "Welcome home Shino-sama, Sakura-sama" the maids of the compound greet bowing low as they walk through the halls to their Father's office knocking on the door they hear a muffled come in and doing so they are greeted by their father running a hand through his bushy hair as he signed and filled out reports on the comings and goings of the Aburame clan.

"Hello Father" Both teens greet causing Shibi to look up upon noticing his children he stands and walks over to them "So did it go well for the both of you" he asks sighing in relief when both nod eagerly he had been informed before hand who they would be having as teammates and their jonin instructors but Shibi didn't know how his children would react to them "I like my sensei she is cool" Sakura bursts out causing Shibi to grimace at the thought of Anko already corrupting his sweet Sakura.

"And you Shino do you like your sensei" he asks enquiringly "She is alright" Shino responds not really having much of an opinion yet as he hadn't trained with her yet "I see well I've been informed by both of your sensei's that you have team training very early in the morning so I suggest you eat and shower and pack some supplies before heading to bed early" Shibi announces sternly ushering the teens out of his office when they nod and hurry to the dining room to eat their supper.

Eating quickly Sakura jumps up gets into the shower forgoing shaving and instead just washing her mid-back length hair and body she jumps out and hurries into the yukata that a maid must have put their for her before running into her room and packing a kunai pouch, and a senbon, needle pouch her summons scroll in case she needed it along with a scroll filled with food and of course some soldier pills consisting of blood replenishing pills, chakra restoring pills and food pills packing them all into a backpack before laying down and falling asleep for the night.

At 2:35am Sakura's alarm blares and she jerks upright out of bed pulling a kunai out from underneath her pillow in defense before realizing that it was just her alarm huffing in irritation she lays back down to go back to sleep when her eyes fly open to look at the clock 'Oh that's right gotta go get Naruto and Sasuke and then get to training ground 13' Sakura groans sitting up in her bed once more wiping the sleep out of her eyes dressing and putting on her ninja gear donning her backpack she stealthily slips down the stairs and out of the house.

Before she had left she had grabbed 3 apples and 3 bottles of water for the 3 of them to eat so they wouldn't starve during their training until they could break for lunch quickly walking down the still dark streets Sakura pushes chakra into her feet to speed up and soon she is flying up the stairs unlocking Naruto's door with the spare key he had given her so she wouldn't break down his door again she enters into the apartment sighing in resignation when she see's it messy and unclean again after she had spent 4 hours cleaning it a few months ago.

Moving objects out of her way as Sakura makes her way to Naruto's room she huffs in irritation resolved to give him a good talking to after their training was over for the day "Naruto wake up" Sakura nudges him gently at first but after several minutes and no response she resorts to drastic measures 'Ok then let's see you sleep through this' Inner smirks as Sakura raises a pail of water and drops in on Naruto causing him to wake up thrashing around spluttering as he tries to figure out what had happened.

Seeing her laughing he pouts swiping his hair out of his eyes he looks at his clock 2:45am and looks at her "Sakura-chan why are you waking me up this early in the morning" he yawns attempting to lay back down when she jerks the cover off of him and he shivers "Sakura-chan your so mean" he chatters feeling the chill finally set in "Hurry up Naruto and get dressed" she throws a bag of clothes at him and he hurries into the bathroom to do as she had said knowing that she meant business when she talked like that.

Coming out of the bathroom wearing the new clothes not happy even though the clothes were orange it wasn't bright orange like before Naruto spies Sakura packing a bag for him also noticing that she had dressed in darker colors and decides that maybe it wouldn't be so bad at least he wouldn't be noticed right away "Ok Naruto onward to Sasuke's" Sakura turns handing Naruto the bag and grabbing his hand after he had put it on dashes out of his apartment locking the door and down into the street for the second time that morning.

Locating Sasuke's chakra was easy it's not like the guy knew how to mask it like she could Sakura thought smugly it was getting into his apartment that wasn't and Sakura was not happy so banging on his door sounded like a good idea "Oyyyyyyyyy Sasuke-teme wake the hell up" Naruto added to her loud noise and sure enough a few moments later the door opens with Sasuke glaring at them "What the hell do you two want at 3 in the morning" he snaps grinding his teeth together in agitation.

"Did you just so happen to forget that we have team training at 4 baka" Sakura asks unaffected by the glare and stomps past him shoving a bag of darker blue bordering on black clothes in his arms "Go get dressed in those" Sakura orders not even turning around to see if he was doing as told before doing what she had done for Naruto and packing a bag of ninja gear finished in record time she turns back around expecting to see Sasuke dressed in the new clothes only to growl in frustration when he was still standing where she had left him.

Pointing at what she thought was the bathroom Sakura snaps "Do not question just go put those on" tapping her foot impatiently he finally slowly moves towards the bathroom and after a few minutes appears sulking wearing the new clothes not happy that he had been ordered around "Now lets go" Sakura rushes out of Sasukes apartment dragging the two with her before doing the same as yesterday and appearing at the training ground they had been told to meet at she turns around and thrusts an apple and bottle of water at the two boys telling them to eat.

Munching her own apple and sipping on her water she notes the time at 3:35 they had made it with time to spare 'Thank god I thought Sasuke was never gonna put those clothes on' Inner grumbles before Sakura tunes her out noticing that all of them were done she grabs the trash and stores it in a scroll drawing a gasp of awe from Naruto "I'll teach you later" she promises before stowing the scroll back in her pack and 5 minutes later a sound they were fast becoming familiar with alerts their ears.

"Those brats won't know what hit them" Anko snickers not having noticed that her students were already there she turns ready to set up her trap only to stop in shock "What the hell are you three doing here at 3:50 in the damn morning" Anko snaps furious that her plan had been sabotaged "You told us to meet you here at 4:00am Sensei" Sakura answers forever the peace maker "Why you cheeky little brat" Anko says throwing her head back and laughing loudly causing one of her male students to take a step back and the other had grown a backbone.

"When I told you to meet me at that time I didn't expect you to actually do as told in fact I wasn't expecting you three to show up until around 7" Anko admits grinning at them Sakura smiles sheepishly throwing her hands up in the air when Sasuke glares at her "Well since you guys arrived way to early how about just a standard training session Naruto vs Sasuke and me against little Sakura" Anko proposes since her intitial plan had been destroyed by her 3 little genins "I'm ready Anko-sensei" Sakura smiles getting into her stance.

Several hours later 3 teens fall onto the ground sweating, bleeding most likely bruised and aching everywhere while Anko stays standing smirking "If that's how you fare just 9 hours of training I think you kids are gonna make it" Anko announces proudly "Now you three just go get yourselves cleaned up and I'll treat you to some dango and tea" Anko says which motivates two of her students meaning Naruto and Sakura even though Naruto would rather have ramen dango was ok in his books.

Staring down the black-haired brat Anko squats down next to him "You just gonna sit there all day or sulk because a girl kicked your ass in training" Anko raises an eyebrow when the boy flinches away from her "Oh come on Uchiha what are you so afraid of" she smiles and if Naruto and Sakura could tell that it was a fake one so could Sasuke as he scoots further away from their sensei "Get away from me" he breathes shooting up and ignoring his pains runs away as fast as possible.

"I've never seen him run that fast before especially not when Ino or his fangirls are chasing him" Sakura laughs causing Naruto to laugh along with her and Anko to stare at them in amusement "Come on you two I'm still treating you to dango and tea after you get cleaned up anyway" Anko orders before poofing away leaving Naruto and Sakura behind "I hate it when she does that" Naruto pouts trailing behind Sakura who leads him back to his apartment "It's just something we are gonna have to get over" Sakura smiles.

Cleaning up his cuts after he had showered Sakura does the same not afraid that Naruto would peek at her because she knew he wouldn't once they are all clean and wearing another set of clothes this time their regular outfits they set out towards the only tea shop they could think of that sold dango's walking slowly so not to aggravate the cuts they make small talk before they finally arrive at the shop stepping through the curtain they enter the shop only to find it in utter chaos.


	12. The C-ranked Mission

The Tea and Dango shop was chaotic people screaming from every corner of the shop and weapons being slung around by the braver ones which were being deflected by others and sent in the opposite direction to which Sakura grabs Naruto and pulls him to the floor to avoid one such kunai both of them groaning at the fast movements watching in awe as their sensei stalks through the door a moment later.

Looking down and spotting two of her students Anko barks out "What the bloody hell is going on in here" she curses making everyone in the tea shop pause and re-think that maybe it wasn't the best time to be there if she was there settling down people bend to pick up their weapons and with all the grace they possesed flee the shop "Ahahahaha you two get up here now" Anko laughs before plopping down at a newly vacated table and order several orders of dango and 3 green tea's for the three of them.

Standing up Naruto groans rubbing his aching limbs before sitting down followed by Sakura "Well now this is interesting Mitarashi" a male says and both teens look to the side noticing a tall man dressed in black covered in scars and bald 'He's scarier looking than Anko-sensei' was the collective thought that went through both Naruto and Sakura's head as their sensei turned and greeted the man unaffected by his presence and orders more dango and another tea as the guy seats himself at their table.

"Oyy Ibiki these are two of my genin brats" Anko boasts proudly thumping Sakura and Naruto on the back causing them to groan in protest "And where's your other one" the man now known as Ibiki asks enquiringly "He ran away practically screaming" Sakura speaks up laughing outright when Ibiki looks at her curiously "Oh really scar him already Anko" Ibiki chuckles darkly causing most of the remaining customers to edge away from the table that seated the Head of Interrogation and Torture and his second in command along with two teens they had never seen before.

"No he's just a little punk who thinks he knows everything" Anko responds after eating half a dango stick once their order had been placed in front of them digging in as well Sakura mumbles her delight wandering why she didn't indulge in the delicious treat more often while Naruto even though he was enjoying the dango he was sulking about not getting to eat ramen "What's wrong with you blondie" Anko asks noticing his sulky expression "It's ok but it's not ramen" he pouts.

"Well next time you guys do well in a training session I'll treat ya to ramen next time hows that for ya kiddo" Anko sighs out seeing the kids pout only to roll her eyes when Ibiki lowers his voice "Ah already gone soft have ya Mitarashi" he chuckles darkly again unaffected when the woman whirls around and glares at him killing intent pouring off of her in waves but interestingly enough the two brats are unaffected as well, well one of them is but he bravely stays seated next to the pink-haired girl 'Heh Naruto has some guts' Sakura smiles softly at the blonde-haired blue-eyed boy.

Jumping up before their sensei got them kicked out Sakura calmly looks at Ibiki "Ibiki-san, Anko-sensei is very tough on us but she felt we deserved a treat for managing to train for 9 hours straight with out stopping or whining" she finishes "Obviously not tough enough seeing as both of you are well at least one of you are mostly unaffected by the killing intent she is putting off" Ibiki speaks up once the pink-haired brat was finished "Your wrong I'm unaffected because this isn't the first time I've felt killing intent" Sakura announces.

'What the hell are you thinking Sakura' Inner shrieks at the announcement causing Sakura to flinch at the volume 'Well it's true remember that guy who trained us' Sakura asks once her Inner had fallen silent 'Yes, but there's no need to tell them that' Inner whines pitifully but is ignored "Oh yeah pinky" Anko asks curiously eyebrow raised in amusement 'This girl is something else' she thinks "Clan training I'm sorry Sensei but that's all I can say" Sakura admits smiling widely at Anko who laughs loudly again scaring the nearby customers.

"You've got style I'll give you that pinky" Anko finally calms down "Which Clan are you from then" Ibiki asks in confusion the girl certainly didn't look like any member of any known or major clan in the Leaf Village "Ah Aburame, Ibiki-san" Sakura bows her head falling into routine again "I've never seen you before" Ibiki looks at her in question when Anko speaks up "Apparently Shibi adopted her and forgot to tell the village about it" she sums up simply causing Sakura to nod her head in acquiesce.

"What's your real last name girl" Ibiki asks again going into interrogation mode "I don't remember Ibiki-san" Sakura mumbles a little put-out that still after all this time she still couldn't remember where she had come from or who her parents were or her last name all she remembered was her first name and that was it "Has Shibi gone to the Hokage about you yet" Ibiki asks instead sighing when she shakes her head no "I'm not sure if he has" Sakura says after a moment of contemplation.

Filing that information away for a later time Ibiki stands from the table and bidding the occupants goodbye stalks out the door of the Tea shop leather trench coat trailing behind him "Well that was fun" Anko rolls her eyes before staring at her two students "Anyways I've got work to do so enjoy the rest of your meal and here's my payment" she places a roll of ryo down on the table and hops up and following Ibiki stalks out of the restuarant causing Naruto and Sakura to sigh in exasperation.

"Our sensei is different" Naruto finally pipes up eating a few more sticks of dango and draining the rest of his tea "Come on Naruto" Sakura stands boxing the left over treats for safe-keeping and waving over their waitress points at the roll of money puts the treats in a bag and leaves Naruto following along behind her "You still want some ramen" she asks after several moments "I'm always up for ramen" Naruto brightens instantly causing Sakura to laugh "Alright you knucklehead my treat" she smiles at him sweetly.

Sitting down at Ichiraku ramen Naruto orders his ramen while Sakura sits there watching him well that's what he thought but he never knew with Sakura meanwhile Sakura was lost in her thoughts 'Not this train of thought again' Inner snipes groaning as her outer-self delves deep into her thoughts back in time to when she was still alone 'I have to find out who I really am' Sakura furrows her eyebrows ignoring her inner she had just found something when she is shook violently.

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, SAKURA-CHAN" a loud obnoxious voice yells in her ears 'Oh that's Naruto' her mind supplies as she opens her emerald green eyes to Naruto his face etched in concern "What's wrong Naruto" she asks only now noticing that she was on the ground "What's wrong she asks you fainted" Naruto screeches tears welling up in his baby blue eyes "I'm sorry" she looks down feeling tears threatening to spill out of her own eyes "Don't do it again" he reprimands loudly glaring and pouting at her.

"I promise Naruto" Sakura smiles at him softly as he helps Sakura to her feet holding her hand tightly as she sways back and forth "Are you alright Sakura-san" Teuchi asks from behind the counter of the ramen stand "I'm alright thank you Teuchi-san" Sakura smiles calming everyone down except for Naruto "I think you should go to the hospital Sakura-chan" Naruto pouts at her giving her the dreaded puppy dog eyes that he had perfected at a young age and she sighs out "Alright Naruto I'll go" she appeases knowing she wouldn't be able to resist saying no when he looked at her like that.

And before she can object he takes her pack and the bag that had the boxes of dango and ushers her towards the hospital in determination "Come on Sakura-chan" he nudges and she sighs before allowing him to direct her to the hospital after getting checked out and paying the bill with her meager money and assuring Naruto that nothing was wrong with her Sakura takes her bags back from him and gestures for him to lead the way to his apartment and he does so happily glad that Sakura was alright.

"See Naruto there wasn't anything to even worry about in the first place" she pokes his forehead laughing when he whines and rubs it "Sakura-chan I was worried one minute you were sitting there and the next you were on the ground" Naruto pouts staring at her again "Oh Naruto-baka" she sighs before hugging him tightly "Well anyways I should probably get home for dinner" she points at the clock which read 4 in the evening "Where the heck did all the time go" Naruto pouts begging her with his eyes to just stay a bit longer only to whine when she waves and disappears out his apartment door and he sighs before making another bowl of ramen and sits at his table lamenting the fact that even though he had given her his puppy dog eyes they hadn't seemed to work on her that time.

"Did you have a good day Sakura-sama" the maids bow when she enters the compound nodding and sighing Sakura just moves through the house towards the dining room seeing the other two members of her family already there she sits next to Shino who turns and stares at her "I probably must look a sight huh" she laughs drawing Shibi's attention "Sakura how did your first training session go" he asks "It was awesome" she bursts out in excitement "How so" Shino asks not looking nearly as beat up as she did.

"Well Anko-sensei didn't go easy on us and we trained for 9 hours" Sakura answers causing Shibi and Shino to look at her like she was insane "You call that awesome" Shino rolls his eyes before returning to his meal "Well how did your first training session go" Sakura pouts slouching in her seat "Kurenai-sensei put us through a genjutsu based training session it was mentally exhausting" Shino finally responds after swallowing his bite of food "And stop slouching" he reprimands "Yeah, yeah" Sakura glares at Shino before sitting up straight.

Finishing their meal in record time Shibi gets up and bidding the teens goodnight heads back to his office while Shino and Sakura return to their respective rooms Sakura reading and Shino studying his insects and soon enough they are laying in bed falling asleep for the night waking up the next morning Sakura is sore from training the previous day but she pushes on and rises, showers and dresses before skipping out of the house like the day before gathering Naruto and Sasuke and heading to the training grounds for their training session.

The next few weeks are the same training and taking on D-ranked mission which of course aggravated Naruto to no end and no matter how many times she tried to appease him Naruto complained until one day after handing in their newest mission report Naruto breaks down "Hey old man give us a better mission I'm tired of doing these d-ranked missions" he glares at the Hokage a pout on his lips causing the Hokage to chuckle and agree to give them a C-ranked mission to the Land of Waves.

"There is a small conflict going on there that needs to be resolved also it will give us the opportunity to create an alliance with the Hidden Mist Village you will also be escorting Tazuna-san back to his home to guard him while he finishes building the bridge that will help them make contact with the outside world" the Hokage explains watching the faces of the 3 genin standing before him while introducing their client before dismissing them from his office to prepare themselves for the mission.

"Damn it Naruto I don't think we are ready" Sakura furiously whispers to her friend turning glaring emeralds on him "But Sakura-chan I just wanted a mission that would utilize our skills" Naruto whines and pouts as she drags him by the ear out of the Hokage's office and down the street to his apartment where she had taken to stowing things of hers like ninja supplies in scrolls which she still had to teach to Naruto like she had promised "It's not like we can do anything now but Naruto I swear when we get back" Sakura growls at yanking his ear and pulling a sharp yelp out of him before letting go.

Grumbling under his breath he unlocks his door and lets the both of them in "Ok Naruto anyways just put these on we should wear darker clothes on this mission something isn't right" Sakura mumbles to herself while shoving some clothes in his arms and gesturing for him to enter the bathroom as she was already wearing her darker clothes and grabbing two backpacks out of the small closet and holstering her weapons pouch along with hiding some weapons under her clothes out of sight before pushing the second bag in Naruto's hands and exiting the house.

Once Naruto had locked the door Sakura grabs his hand and races down the streets to the gate pulling him along behind her once there she realizes they were the first ones and sits down to make sure she had grabbed everything from medical supplies to food supplies nodding when she seals everything back in her scrolls and stands up she notices Sasuke had arrived and a few moments later the man they would be escorting comes around the corner followed by a man they had never seen before.

"Alright everyone let's go" the strange man orders preparing to take off only to stop after a few minutes and look back realizing only one of them was following him "Hey you aren't our Sensei" Naruto yells after a few moments just now realizing causing Sakura to sigh "I'm Kakashi Hatake your temporary sensei, Anko had some things to do and couldn't come on this mission" Kakashi finally sighs out when the three little genin continue to stare at him "Kakashi-senpai" the pink-haired girl speaks up politely.

"Yes" he asks curiously "Can I speak to you privately for a moment" Sakura asks nervously drawing questioning gazes from her teammates "Of course" he smiles at her "Is it alright if we just call you senpai instead of sensei it just doesn't feel right" she starts off pulling a nod from Kakashi before getting out what was bothering her "This mission doesn't feel right" Sakura finally says simply after several minutes of contemplating how she wanted to say what she felt causing Kakashi to raise his eyebrow at her.

"And what makes you think that" he asks interested in what she was going to say next "It's the way Tazuna-san sounded like I don't know something in his voice indicated that he wasn't exactly being very honest about the mission details" Sakura says looking up at him enquiringly while Kakashi processed this information 'She's right I was hiding in the ceiling and even I could tell their was something off' he finally nods ruffling the girls long pink hair "Very good um you" he smiles at her through his mask.

"Kakashi-senpai do you perhaps not know our names" she teases after swatting his hands away and smooths down her hair "Ah" Kakashi says simply "Ok Senpai I'm Sakura, that's Naruto the blonde knucklehead over there and of course there's Sasuke" Sakura introduces herself enthusiasticaly, brightening up when she introduces Naruto and finally grumbling out Sasuke's name "Well then shall we be on our way Sakura-san" he asks and Sakura nods moving back towards the two boys on her team.

"Alright you 4 stay alert anything could happen even if it is only a C-ranked Mission" Kakashi says pointedly watching Tazuna and as Sakura had suspected the older male tenses just barely before relaxing "Sakura stand by me Naruto, Sasuke stay by Tazuna-san" he orders hoping to keep the girl close and drill her for more information while on the road and with that he takes the first step out of the village followed by the other three headed towards the Land of Waves unaware of the brewing danger.


	13. The Mystery of Sakura Aburame

"Lord Hokage" Ibiki bows respectfully when he was admitted into the Hokage's office "Ibiki I was told this was a matter of most importance" Hiruzen asks curiously when the man straightened and sat in a chair "Yes, did you know that Shibi took in a little girl" Ibiki asks "Yes I did he came to me the night before she was inducted into the Aburame Clan" Hiruzen nods remembering the night clearly Shibi wouldn't take no for an answer "Sakura is a mystery to even myself Ibiki" Hiruzen scratches his chin while saying this because it was nothing but truth.

"Well who are her real parents" Ibiki asks wanting to get this over with "We don't know 13 years and 2 months ago a member of my personal anbu protection was patroling the gates of the village when he noticed her I sent some people to search around but they found nothing" Hiruzen answers leaning back in his chair "She's been talented from the very beginning having the ability to escape from the orphanage and stay on the streets with out being caught" Hiruzen chuckles fondly remembering how much of a troublemaker the girl had been to him and others.

"Do you mind if I conduct an investigation to find out more about this girl" Ibiki asks when it was clear no more information would be given "I'm not sure how much you'd find out but if your willing to put in the work then do as you please but if you happen to find anything, anything at all report to me immediately and I'll decide whether or not the information is appropriate to tell to Sakura" Hiruzen orders "Of course Lord Hokage" Ibiki bows before exiting the office it was clear he was being dismissed his visit was finished.

Back in T&I headquarters he tells an underling to find Anko and tell her that he wanted her in his office right as Ibiki sat down at his desk Anko came flying through the door "Anko I'm conducting an investigation on your female student" Ibiki announces bluntly causing the woman to stumble mid stride "Your what Ibiki why would you do that" Anko shouts "Because no one knows the girls background other than being adopted into the Aburame clan at a young age" Ibiki says simply stopping any and all arguments that Anko could come up with to persuade him.

"Fine but if Sakura get's hurt because of this" Anko threatens feeling suddenly protective over the pink-haired girl "Don't worry Mitarashi if all goes well Sakura may get to meet any family she has left" Ibiki sneers at Anko who backs out of the office leaving Ibiki alone to get started on compiling all information he had on Sakura Aburame to begin his investigation being brought more paperwork throughout the day until finally he heads home for some sleep only to start working again the next day Ibiki had a self assigned mission to resolve the mystery of Sakura Aburame.


	14. It's official it's an A-ranked Mission

Kakashi kept Sakura close not allowing her to stray to far when he notices her tense up it had been a half an hour since they began walking when her two teammates Naruto and Sasuke began bickering without stopping he watches Sakura swing her head around and pin her emerald eyes on the two boys "If you two don't shut up" here she paused contemplating her next words before allowing a smile to spread across her lips it was a smile that could send shivers of fear down anyones spine.

Recognizing the smile Naruto wisely shuts up while Sasuke eyes her warily but also falls silent "You'd think being a ninja they would have better sense than that" Sakura sighs softly to herself not aware that Kakashi had heard her still walking she notices a puddle and she furrows her eyebrows in confusion before feeling it 'Shoot that's genjutsu' Inner says Sakura was about to warn Kakashi but it was to late the two in the genjutsu had attacked and Naruto was already screaming in surprise.

Rolling her eyes Sakura in her best Anko imitation barks out "Sasuke, Naruto protect Tazuna-san Kakashi-senpai will be alright" she orders grasping the kunai she had hidden on her arm under her sleeves and throws it at the two rogues drawing them away from her teammates correctly assuming that they were after Tazuna-san "Sakura-chan be careful" Sakura hears Naruto shout along with a dull thud looking up Sakura notices that Kakashi had reappeared and had stopped one of the two men now it was up to her.

"Naruto remember what we practiced" she grins when he charges forward making the handsign for his shadow clone jutsu as she launches forward and grabs one of the clones and throws him into the other man before tossing a senbon and dispelling the clone before pushing chakra in her feet to increase her speed and before the cloud of white smoke disappears flies through it and punches the man in the face sending him flying into a tree knocking him semi unconscious before wrapping ninja wire around him to make sure he couldn't move.

"Nice work Sakura, Naruto" Kakashi grins at them causing his eye to crinkle in the corner "Of course you did good to Sasuke" he directs his gaze onto the scowling boy "Thank you Senpai but really I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't already have my suspicions about this mission in the first place" Sakura huffs staring at Tazuna and in her no nonsense voice asks "So Tazuna-san want to tell us the true difficulty of this mission" she scowls at him stalking towards him in a move reminiscent of Anko.

"Ah well you see I couldn't pay for anything other than C-ranked and I'm sorry, so sorry" Tazuna cries falling on the ground comically "Don't you have any backbone geez that's just pathetic" Sakura stares down at him tapping her foot in irritation "Ok Sakura that's enough" Kakashi steps in trying vainly not to laugh even though it was rather hilarious to see a little girl make a grown man cry like that and sets down the other rogue next to his brother and ties him up with some wire like Sakura had done to the other.

'Geez Anko is already rubbing off on her students' Kakashi thinks to himself while he question to the demon brothers getting no information out of them he instantly kills them drawing a gasp from 3 of the 4 people standing behind him and he looks curiously up at the pinkette "It's not the first time I've seen someone killed we are ninja death is in the job description" Sakura folds her hands behind her back and looks around cautiously "I'm sure you've heard this before but your not a normal genin" Kakashi stares at her and she shrugs.

"I can't help it that I've been exposed to things normal children or just newly graduated academy students haven't been exposed to yet" Sakura sighs sadly remembering all the training she had been given when she had been taken into the Aburame clan seeing the sadness in her eyes Kakashi wisely drops the subject intending to talk to the Hokage when they got back to the village to see if he could get more information on the strange girl 'She definitely isn't normal' he nods to himself standing and brushing himself off.

"Alright Tazuna-san because we have other things to do on this mission we will still continue but it's best for future reference that you don't lie about the mission difficulty again because sending genin out on an A-ranked mission like this isn't practical" he stares at the man before gesturing for the group to begin walking again the quicker they got this mission over with the sooner they could return to the village and the sooner he could ask the Hokage his questions about Sakura not knowing he had already been beaten to it.

3 hours later it was blissfully silent of course nothing ever goes right when things are that silent thought Sakura as she felt a menacing chakra behind them along with a group of several people ahead of them "Ah Senpai do you" she trails off when he nods and she briefly glances behind her at her teammates and of course the sulking Tazuna "We know your there why don't you come out" Kakashi calls ducking when a giant sword flies overhead and embeds itself into a tree and a tall man with bandages wrapped around his mouth appears laughing.

Startled at the appearance of the man Naruto moves in front of Tazuna holding up a kunai protectively "Zabuza-san must you scare them they are only genin" Kakashi asks eyeing the man warily when all he does is chuckle deeply "Apparently not all of them are scared pinky there seems to be just fine" Zabuza points out jumping down from the tree subduing his killing intent and stands before the group of five curiously "So what brings you here" Zabuza asks narrowing his eyes at them.

"We've been asked to help resolve the conflict within the Hidden Mist Village along with escort Tazuna-san back home and protect him as he finishes building his bridge" Kakashi explains handing the man the mission report Sakura watches him curiously noting that the group of people had disappeared ahead of them at this mans appearance but there was still someone hiding it was faint but she could still tell that someone was watching them from the shadows and she smiles but remains silent knowing to let their Senpai do all the talking.

Unfortunately Naruto didn't get the memo to remain silent and he speaks up "Hey who's the freak with no eyebrows" he points at Zabuza yelling only to fall silent when Sakura whacks him on the head "Be quiet" Sakura hisses slapping her hand over his mouth to prevent any further outbursts from the knucklehead "Don't your brats know how to be silent in the presence of other shinobi" Zabuza asks eyeing the pinkette curiously as she stops the blonde from saying anything else.

"Ah sorry this is their first mission outside the village as far as I know and they aren't mine I'm their Senpai for this mission as their sensei was already on another mission and couldn't come on this one" Kakashi glares at Naruto who eeps in fear causing Sakura to roll her eyes silently promising to whack him over the head again later when she could before straightening and continue paying attention to the other chakra source that had stayed a constant since Zabuza had appeared before them.

"Kakashi I'll need to speak with you in private" Zabuza peers at the genins before moving further away Kakashi following once at a distance that the rest of the group couldn't hear he explains about Gatou and his henchmen and that he and his apprentice were there from orders of the new Mizukage along with one other who had run off the minute they had left the village and they were currently looking for him "I understand Zabuza and to make your mission easier we of the Hidden Leaf will help you look for your runaway teammate" Kakashi offers Zabuza.

Meanwhile Sakura was listening into the conversation using chakra to enhance her hearing she huffs 'Cha we could so be of help' she pouts internally as Inner once again rages 'So that's the other chakra we feel Zabuza-san's apprentice' Sakura nods to herself no longer enhancing her hearing and waits for the two adults to move back towards her and the others a few minutes later they do so knowing that Zabuza had accepted the offer and now they were going to split up in teams one taking Tazuna to the village and the other searching for the runaway.

Reaching the rest of his temporary team Kakashi deals out his orders "Sakura you will be going with Zabuza and his apprentice Haku to find their missing teammate, Sasuke and Naruto you'll be with me to escort Tazuna the rest of the way to the village" groaning at this Naruto pouts "But senpai I want to be with Sakura-chan" he whines but Kakashi remains steadfast in his orders "Naruto ninja aren't supposed to whine" Sakura points out moving to stand before Zabuza unafraid.

Falling silent Naruto follows Sasuke and the other two to Tazuna's village leaving Sakura behind "Haku you can come out now" Zabuza calls out ignoring Sakura for the time being a few moments later a boy her age appears 'Wow he's so pretty' Inner says looking him over "Haku she will be joining us temporarily to find Utakata" he says unsure of what else to say "Zabuza-san, Haku-san I'm Sakura Aburame" Sakura introduces herself to the Mist Shinobi that would be her temporary teammates.

"Sakura-san what can you do" Haku asks curiously staring at her good thing she was good with strangers and wasn't unnerved when Haku stared at her "I'm a bug expert" Sakura says simply before getting down to business "Zabuza-san do you have anything of your teammates that carries his scent" she asks after a few moments "Yes he left his pack fortunately he had touched it previously and we stored it in a scroll" he answers watching her curious as to what she was going to do.

"Will you unseal the scroll please" Sakura asks again doing as she had asked and placing the pack in front of her 'Alright let's summon Tomo-kun' that decision in mind Sakura bites her thumb swipes it across her palm doing the simple handsign "Plume Moth Summoning Jutsu" she calls a few seconds later a palm-sized moth appears in her hand "Hello Tomo-kun I have a job for you will you help me out again" Sakura asks politely "Of course Sakura-sama anything for you" the moth responds politely as well shocking to two males.

'It talks that bug talks' Zabuza stares in amazement while Haku was disturbed at the summoning "Ok Tomo-kun I need you to help me track down their missing teammate his scent is on that backpack" she gestures briefly at Zabuza and Haku before showing Tomo the pack "Alright Sakura-sama I'll get right on it" the little moth flies out of her palm and flies around the backpack after a few minutes he lands back in Sakura's hand and starts speaking rapidly in a language only Sakura seemed to understand.

Listening to Tomo speak Sakura nods "Ok Tomo-kun says he's got the scent and he can lead us to wherever Utakata-san is but I summoned him while he was in the middle of something and he has to go back for a little while to finish" she explains "And how long will he be gone" Zabuza asks feeling uneasy talking about the bug "Just for 15 minutes" Sakura says "Very well we will wait then" he nods and Tomo poofs out of existence going back to his mountain to finish the task he had been given by Rora-sama.

Those 15 minutes pass by quickly and soon enough Sakura is resummoning Tomo "Welcome back Tomo-kun" she says politely before nodding seriously "Alright Tomo-kun lead us" with that Tomo flies up and out of her hand before taking off into the surrounding forest the group of three hot on his wings Sakura in the lead as she had the most experience with following small bugs "She's actually keeping up with that thing" Haku questions not having seen anyone like Sakura before so therefore he was confused.

"It's confusing to me as well Haku so you aren't alone in this" Zabuza whispers back jerking to the right when Sakura jumps in that direction still keeping pace with Tomo-kun several minutes of travel later both girl and bug stop on a branch hiding her chakra Zabuza was deeply impressed with the kid doing the same both Zabuza and Haku hide their chakra as well peering down into a clearing and there their missing teammate sat 'Damn you Utakata' Zabuza curses promising to punish the man for making them search for him.

'That's their teammate' Inner asks practically swooning at the sight of him 'Shut up Inner your ruining my concentration' Sakura snaps shoving her into a box and locking it tight for the time being before speaking to the males behind her "Well I found your teammate what are you going to do now Zabuza-san" she whispers softly drawing Zabuza out of his thoughts "We confront him Utakata said that if we could find him he would help us out seeing as we have found him the only thing left to do is confront him" Zabuza says and Sakura and Haku nod.

Blinking in surprise as the two before her disappear Sakura huffs out a laugh 'Men' she rolls her eyes before jumping down into the clearing to find Zabuza already scolding Utakata "Alright fine I'll join y..." Utakata trails off finally noticing Sakura "Oy who's the brat she definitely isn't from the Hidden Mist Village" he swings around to pin Zabuza with a glare "Sakura-san here gladly agreed to help up find you" Haku speaks up this time drawing Utakata's attention "Is that so" Utakata huffs before slumping in defeat mumbling under his breath.

"It's alright Utakata-san my teammates drive me crazy to but you still shouldn't have run off like that" Sakura scolds causing Zabuza and Haku to clamp their hands over their mouths in an effort to stop their laughter at seeing a little pink-haired girl scold Utakata 'My god that girl has some guts' Zabuza snorts dispelling his laughter as best he could before addressing the 3 standing before him well he was until Sakura swipes blood on her palm again and summons this time a horde of moths.

'Damnit we've been followed' Sakura curses sending her horde of poisonous plume moths after the two people hiding in the bushes watching them a few minutes later screaming emerges and the two stumble out of their hiding spot trying to ward off the moths and their poison gas that they were emitting from their tiny bodies seconds later they were laying on the ground barely alive and moments later they were dead and the others were staring at Sakura in astonishment that she had known someone was there.

The three males stared and stared some more before Zabuza finally speaks up "Your not a normal genin" he sighs out wiping his hand down his face "Ah not the first time I've been told that" Sakura admits sheepishly before dispelling her summons "How did you know they were there" Utakata asks curiously eyes furrowed "I'm good at tracking so my senses are always on the look out" she shrugs "You, your the one who found me" Utakata swings around again but whatever he was going to say dies on his lips.

Zabuza and Haku were looking at Sakura like she was crazy 'Why do we always end up with the weird ones' was thought collectively by the two before Zabuza clears his throat "We should head to the village now" he says simply before jumping into the tree's and taking off at high speed the other three following behind him closely still completely impressed with Sakura's abilities not to mention she was again keeping up with their fast-paced travel unaware that Sakura was splitting her attention between keeping up with them and staying on the alert for other enemies.

Meanwhile Kakashi and his group had arrived in Tazuna's village Tazuna had led them to his home and they had already been introduced to Tsunami and Inari "Where's Sakura-chan" Naruto whines again for the fourth time in the two hours that she had been helping Zabuza track down his missing teammate "Dope shut up" Sasuke pipes up from the other side of the room and that sets Naruto off for the third time and again Kakashi has to separate the two genin "Sasuke, Naruto enough" he threatens glaring at the two boys.

Feet landing on grass outside the home sets the three civilians into a panic and Kakashi soothes them recognizing Sakura's chakra along with Zabuza, Haku and what must be their missing teammate "It's just the other genin along with Mist Shinobi" he explains simply moving to open the door for the group of four "Sakura-chan" Naruto jumps up rushing at her tackling her in a hug "You knucklehead get off me" she struggles pushing him off of her and hitting him over the head with her fist.

"Owww Sakura-chan why are you so mean" he sits on the floor pouting causing everyone to roll their eyes at his antics "Why are you such an idiot" Sakura snipes crossing her arms and grinning at him this time causing everyone to laugh including Naruto who realizing that he was being ridiculous stands up rubbing the back of his head sheepishly "Your right Sakura-chan" he smiles at her before moving to sit down dragging her with him this time everyone blinks in surprise.

"Oh would you like some help ma'am" Sakura jumps up from her seat and rushes over to Tsunami "No dearie that's alright I can handle it" Tsunami says patting Sakura's head and gesturing for her to retake her seat at the table while she finished up making dinner for everyone "If you'd like some extra supplies I packed to much and I'd be willing to part with them" Sakura offers pulling out her extra food supply storage scroll and Tsunami sighs "Alright you may help" she says accepting the offer for help this time.

With that the two females are bustling around the kitchen causing everyone's stomach to growl in hunger at the delicious aroma wafting around the small home and soon enough the beef stew is being set on the table and bowls are being doled around "Itadakimasu" everyone calls digging into one of the most delicious meals any of them had ever had well Naruto had because this wasnt the first time Sakura had cooked for him but it was the first time she had cooked for a lot of other people.

Night time comes soon enough and all the shinobi were being set up in separate rooms the four teens being set up in one room and the three adults in another laying in her sleeping bag Sakura finds it hard to fall asleep as she tosses and turns she must have disturbed Naruto because he scoots over and lays next to her "Sakura-chan is everything alright" he whispers peering at her with his blue eyes in the dark of the room "Ah I'm fine" she admits "Just having a hard time sleeping in a new place" Sakura admits again causing Naruto to laugh softly.

"Hey remember the first time we met" he asks hoping to distract her "Ah yes everyone was picking on you because you had just pulled a prank on the entire class" Sakura smiles fondly clasping Naruto's hand in her own tightly "Yeah you were covered in the powder as well but you were the only one who didn't laugh at me" Naruto says again grinning widely "And then later on I confronted you" Sakura grins this time "And I thought you were going to whack me" he whisper laughs not wanting to wake the others.

"I did but I also told you that you were cool and that I'd love to be your friend" Sakura finishes the memory off reaching over to hug the blonde before settling back down in her sleeping back and dozing off finally still holding Naruto's hand tightly a few moments later both teens are asleep dreaming of the memories they had created together and before they knew it the sun had risen and all four teens were awoken by a loud pouding on the door and being ordered to wake up and they do so rising for the day without complaint.


	15. Hidden Mists Offer and Returning Home

After everyone had eaten Kakashi begins dealing out orders to the group of genin he had been put in charge of "Alright Naruto, Sasuke you'll be with me protecting Tazuna today Sakura will stay here and protect Tsunami and Inari while Zabuza, Haku, and Utakata will be looking for Gatou" he looks around getting nods of acceptance from everyone but Zabuza so Kakashi sighs and looks questioningly at him "Haku can protect Tsunami and Inari I'd like Sakura to come with me and Utakata" Zabuza offers pleading with Kakashi to let Sakura go with him.

"Right you heard the man Sakura" Kakashi re-orders before ushering Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna out of the house so they could get to the bridge "Ok Zabuza-san I'm guessing you'd like me to track Gatou the same I tracked Utakata-san am I right" Sakura bounces over to stand before him eagerly grinning up at him nodding and patting the girls head "Your right and your in luck I happen to have something of Gatou's that most likely carries his scent" here Zabuza chuckles darkly causing Sakura to laugh.

"Ok that is just weird" Utakata stares at them weirdly never having seen anyone other than Haku get along well with Zabuza like Sakura was "I'm sorry I've been told I'm not a normal genin" here Sakura grins cheekily before again summoning Tomo like she had the other day "Hello Sakura-sama do you have another job for me" he asks in his high pitched voice causing Utakata to edge away twitching slightly at the sight of a talking bug "Yes, I do Tomo-kun will you be willing to help us again" Utakata edges further away when Sakura talks back to it.

'Hmph look at him he's terrified of Tomo-kun unlike our Shika-kun who didn't freak out when we summoned Tomo-kun to help him look for Choji when he disappeared' Inner sniffs delicately and fade into the recesses of Sakura's mind causing Sakura to roll her eyes "Ok Tomo-kun can you tell me if there is any different scents on that" Sakura points to the walking stick because it couldn't be anything other than that and Tomo flies over to it flying over and around before flying excitedly back over to Sakura to eagerly tell her what he had found.

"Sakura-sama I've got the scent" Tomo squeaks happily hoping to please his mistress "Good work Tomo-kun" she pats him gently on his tiny body, standing from her crouched position eyeing Utakata who was on the other side of the clearing in exasperation before nodding at Zabuza "Tomo says he has a scent but as to whether it's Gatou's is still up to debate" Sakura says simply explaining as best she could "We'll just have to follow him then" Zabuza nods gesturing for Sakura to take off first before following behind her Utakata trailing behind.

Meanwhile Kakashi and his group had arrived at the bridge Naruto was using his shadow clones to help out seeing as Sakura wasn't there Kakashi was impressed because the other day all he did was complain but now he was being semi mature he was still an idiot but at least he wasn't hindering Tazuna unlike Sasuke who was standing stiffly and Kakashi briefly wonders what Sakura would do if she was here before dispelling the thought immediately and pulling out his orange book to read while keeping watch.

"Hey Senpai can I take a quick break" Naruto comes running up to him after several minutes dripping with sweat Kakashi nods and gestures for Sasuke to take over who glares at him rolling his eyes he tries another tactic "You don't want Sakura to know that you haven't been helping out now would you Sasuke-san or how about Mitarashi-san" Kakashi asks smiling triumphantly when Sasuke goes white at both names and jumps forward without complaint to begin helping with the work on the bridge.

"Ahahahahahaha" Naruto rolls on the ground laughing hysterically causing Kakashi to release a chuckle "I hate to admit it but if I didn't already know Sakura-chan and Anko-sensei I would be terrified into doing work like that as well" Naruto stands up after a few minutes grinning widely "What would she have done if she had been here" Kakashi asks in interest "She would just make him wish he was never born" Naruto says flippantly sitting on the ground and pulling out a storage scroll and staring at it quizically.

After a few minutes Kakashi was about to ask Naruto if he knew how to access the items within the scroll when the blonde perks up performs a handsign causing the seal on the scroll to shine and a puff of white smoke to appear Naruto grabs two of the items which turns out to be an apple and a bottle of water before resealing the rest of the stuff in the scroll and putting it back in his pouch while taking a huge bite out of the apple a few minutes into munching on his apple Naruto looks up to find Kakashi staring at him in surprise.

"mhat vs vt" he mumbles still chewing before swallowing and asking again "What is it Senpai" Naruto asks "Where did you learn to access a storage scroll like that" Kakashi asks genuinely wanting to know "Oh before we left this morning during breakfast Sakura-chan showed me for a few moments I couldn't remember the handsign she had assigned to the scroll but otherwise it was very simple" Naruto shrugs not really seeing the big deal about accessing a storage scroll but the way Kakashi made it sound it was supposed to be a lot harder than that.

"Is there something wrong with that" he asks in concern "Well no it's just that genin aren't supposed to learn about that until they are jonin" Kakashi shrugs "Oh should I tell Sakura-chan that" Naruto asks which prompts Kakashi to stare down at him in horror "Absolutely not Naruto there is nothing wrong with learning things early on just be careful how much you reveal to someone you don't know" Kakashi sighs patting Naruto on the head before returning to reading his book while Naruto finishes his apple and water.

Jumping up after putting his apple core and empty water bottle in a scroll made for storing trash Naruto stretches before creating a bunch of clones and leaps back into helping out the workers which prompts Sasuke to stumble back over to Kakashi and slide down the wall dripping with sweat and utterly exhausted 'Man Anko really isn't working enough with this kid' Kakashi sighs before pulling out an apple and water from his own storage scroll and sets them next to Sasuke who sighs in relief.

While the others were working Haku was bored he wasn't used to being demoted to babysitting "Haku-san could you go out to the garden and pick some herbs for me please" Tsunami says over her shoulder at him as she passed by him on her way to the kitchen rising from the table he sighs and heads out the back door to Tsunami's little herb garden and bends down picking several herbs before heading back in Haku calls out to Tsunami who comes from the kitchen and takes the herbs patting Haku on the head before going back into the kitchen.

Back with Sakura, Zabuza and Utakata Sakura had stopped on a branch when Tomo had paused mid-flight very abruptly "What is it Tomo-kun" she asked eyebrows furrowed in concern "Open your senses further Sakura-sama" Tomo orders and Sakura does so feeling the large group of people from the other day "Tomo can you go spy on them come back after a few minutes and tell me if there is a short man among them" Sakura orders feeling uneasy about this all of a sudden nodding Tomo flies away to do as his mistress bid him.

After a few minutes of the three standing around Tomo comes flying back in a hurry "Sakura-sama he's there" he squeaks out "Good job Tomo-kun" Sakura bows her head politely before dispelling Tomo "Alright so what's the plan Zabuza-san, Utakata-san" she turns around on her branch to face the two males behind her "Sakura how many of those moths can you summon and are all of them poisonous" Zabuza asks Sakura watching her carefully as she falls silent for several minutes.

'We shouldn't have dispelled Tomo-kun' Inner whines throwing herself around the confines of Sakura's head in a fit causing Sakura to roll her eyes "I can summon a larger horde than yesterday but it should be enough I'm guessing you don't want Gatou poisoned hence why you asked but unfortunately all my moths are poisonous on the bright side I can order them to stay away from Gatou and take out maybe five to six of the enemy at a time" she ticks off Zabuza listening closely to what she says.

"How long does it take for the poison to take affect if it's just one or maybe two of those moths on a person" Zabuza asks "Oh well if it's just a couple of moths on a person at a time it usually takes around 20 to 25 minutes" Sakura recites what she had learned long ago "That's a better idea place two to three moths on every person except for Gatou and then we trail them back to their hideout" Zabuza suggests a plan after contemplating for several minutes causing Sakura to nod in acquiesce.

"That's a brilliant idea Zabuza-san" Sakura exclaims clapping her hands excitedly as she summons a smaller horde of moths than yesterday and begins doling out orders to them too which they fly off and land on a person leaving Gatou alone and begin emitting their poison causing the person they land on to inhale the gas as the group of people and Gatou begin walking back to their base unaware that they were being tailed and that it was already to late to even defend themselves.

20 minutes later Gatou notices something wrong with his henchman they were lagging behind him instead of surrounding him like before "What the hell is wrong with you" he snarls turning around and glaring at the men growling in frustration when they lag further some even falling on the ground gasping for air as the poison in their bodies reach maximum potency and begin killing them off one by one until none of them are left and Gatou is alone realizing the trouble he's in starts running as fast as he can only to be stopped by a smiling Sakura.

"Hey pinky wait up" a menacing voice sounds from behind him and Gatou hesitantly turns to be faced with Zabuza Momochi and even worse Utakata and begins sweating profusely in fear what was even worse was the pink-haired girls smile it was spine-chillingly scary "Zabuza Momochi huh where's your apprentice don't tell me you've traded him in for little miss large forehead over there" Gatou straightens smirking after insulting Zabuza and Sakura all in the same sentence.

'Why that bastard' Inner grinds out attempting to take over Sakura's movement so that she could kill the man who dared insult their rather large forehead while Sakura inwardly struggles to keep her Inner self under control 'Inner stop we can't kill him remember' she tries to reason with Inner while outwardly remaining still and silent that smile still in place 'Fine' Inner pouts sulkily 'But if he insults our forehead again no one is gonna stop me next time' she fades causing to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'd be careful Gatou about who you insult pinky over there is just as deadly as us Mist Nin who do you think it was that killed off all of your men" Zabuza calls out wiping the smirk right off of Gatou's face and causing him to turn and look at the pink-haired girl again sweat pouring of him now as his fear increases "Oy look at that Utakata pinky has him terrified" Zabuza and Utakata snicker as Sakura's smile widens at his words causing Gatou to fall on his ass now begging for his life to be spared.

"Please spare me" he begs kneeling before Sakura who stared down at him "It's not me you should be asking for forgiveness from" she smiles sweetly at him causing Gatou to gulp in fear while gesturing to Zabuza and he quickly turns around begging again while Sakura has a debate with Inner 'Look at him he's so freaking pathetic' Inner scoffs and Sakura agree's 'I know it's sad that we scare grown men so much that it causes them to beg like that' she says causing Inner to laugh wildly before fading again.

Grabbing Gatou after knocking him out Zabuza stares at Sakura looking her over critically "Tell Kakashi that if the Leaf Village ever finds itself in need of help we of the Hidden Mist will gladly lend aid" Zabuza bows his head politely after his small speech "I will thank you Zabuza-san" Sakura smiles at him before leading the way back to Tazuna's house so that Zabuza and Utakata could pick up Haku and be on their way back to the Hidden Mist Village while Sakura stayed in Haku's place to watch over Tsunami and Inari until her team got back with Tazuna.

5:00pm Tazuna calls out to his crew to pack up for the day while putting away his own tools he looks over at the group of shinobi that were his protection and sighs knowing that he was putting a lot of people in danger including the kids "Alright Kakashi I'm done for the day I'm sure Tsunami has dinner ready for us and I'm sure Zabuza and the others have returned" he leads the group of three back to his house finding Sakura had returned but the other three had disappeared so he asks Tsunami but it's Sakura who answers.

"Ah well we caught Gatou and his men are dead so Zabuza, Haku and Utakata have returned to their village and Kakashi-senpai when you turn in our mission scroll tell Lord Hokage that Zabuza said that anytime we of the Hidden Leaf Village needs help that they of the Hidden Mist Village would gladly lend their help" Sakura recites before standing and hurrying over to Naruto and Sasuke recognizing the signs of chakra exhaustion in both and placing a hand on both boys lends a little of her chakra to them.

"Thanks Sakura-chan" Naruto hugs her while Sasuke glares at her disappointed in himself moving passed to her without a single word while Sakura rolls her eyes at him before sitting next to Naruto as Tsunami brings out the dinner they had finished preparing while the guys were gone for the day "Oh Sakura you'll be going with us tomorrow since there is no longer a threat" Kakashi pipes up from his seat next to Sasuke who was eating and scowling at the same time still upset that Sakura helped him.

The next few days pass by in a blur as the bridge is finished and soon the group of four are on their way back to the Leaf Village once again Sasuke and Naruto bickering and Sakura sighing in exasperation Kakashi has deja vu as Sakura swings her head around and with out stopping scares the two boys into shutting up before mumbling under her breath about idiotic boys and about why she couldn't have gotten two female teammates instead of two males as girls were much more mature than boys.

Chuckling Kakashi ruffles her hair causing Sakura to quit muttering and swat his hand away while looking up at him pouting "Now, now Sakura" Kakashi's eye crinkles indicating that he was smiling as he raises his hands in defense causing her to roll her eyes and quit pouting "Senpai your strange" she says before quickening her pace seeing the village gates after several hours of travel she was eager to get home and tell her dad and Shino all about her mission not mention Sakura couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed.

"Alright you three you can head home I have to report into Lord Hokage" Kakashi gives them a two fingered salute before poofing away in a cloud of smoke "Well I'll see you guys tomorrow for training with Anko-sensei" Sakura says taking off in the opposite direction heading straight home entering the compound the maids welcome her home while her old caretaker tells her that her dad was eating lunch and Shino was still out training with his team and Sensei and Sakura hurries into the dining hall.

"Welcome home" Shibi says after pausing in eating after she had charged through the dining hall doors "I'm glad to be home that mission was a tough one" Sakura says plopping down in a chair and massaging her aching shoulders "Is that so you'll have to tell me later as I have to get back to work" Shibi stands causing her to pout and he chuckles "Later Sakura perhaps during dinner" Shibi offers and Sakura brightens before digging into her own lunch happily as Shibi exits the hall.

Later on after Sakura had taken a shower she heads back down to the dining hall for dinner with Shino and their father Shino had been surprised to see her home after several days of being out on a mission secretly he was a little jealous that her team had gotten a higher ranked mission and had gotten to leave the village while the rest of the genin that had graduated still had to do D-ranked mission but he wouldn't tell her that because Shino knew exactly how she would react and exactly what she would do.

After telling the two males about her mission outside the village and everything she had done Sakura finished her dinner and headed up to bed glad that she could sleep in her own bed that night the next day when Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were gathered in front of Anko waiting for their next order she shocs them "Well you three I've nominated you for the chunin exams" Anko grins at them cheekily as they stare at her in shock after a few minutes they burst out in a loud exclamation "WHAT"!


	16. Menial Tasks and the Chunin Exams Part 1

When the three standing in front of her don't fall silent after a few minutes of still talking excitedly to one another Anko feels her temper rising and before they could get out of range she whacks them over the head "Be quiet you brats" Anko seethes her aura suffocating them as they finally fall silent "Good now it's a few months before the actual nominations and I've been alerted by a scarecrow that I need to work with one of you" she glares hard down at Sasuke while Sakura holds back a laugh.

"And as for you two" Anko turns her stare onto Naruto and Sakura her eyes softening "You'll be helping out around the village" Anko grins and Naruto almost groans but stops himself at the last minute when he see's Sakura shaking her head for him not to complain "Right now report in to Lord Hokage and give him this scroll and he'll tell you what you need to do and No slacking off" Anko barks out dismissing them with a wave of her hand after handing the scroll to Sakura and not to Naruto knowing he would somehow lose it.

"Come on Naruto" Sakura huffs pulling him along by the hand as worrying sounds come from behind them soon arriving at the Hokage Tower the two are ushered directly into the Hokage's office where he had been apparently waiting for them "Well Naruto, Sakura it looks like you'll be helping shinobi traveling in from different countries around the village and showing them where they'll be staying consider this a C-ranked mission it's very important" Hiruzen smiles at the two genin that were showing a lot of promise.

"Ah here Lord Hokage" Sakura hands over the scroll their sensei had given her and he opens it scanning it's contents before sighing 'I am definitely getting to old too be doing this' Hiruzen thinks before stamping the scroll and handing it back over to Sakura who stares at it in confusion "It's a report scroll everyday I'm supposed to stamp it" he explains to the confused girl who changed her expression into one of understanding "Head to the village gates Kotetsu and Izumo with brief you" Hiruzen dismisses them puffing on his pipe.

Trudging out of the Hokage's office Sakura and Naruto book it to the Village Gates where Izumo and Kotetsu were already waiting for them "Alright now we'll handle the easy part here's a map to each teams hotel and their room" Kotetsu speaks up handing the items to Sakura "Once they have signed in you'll escort the teams from different villages to the Hotel or around the village if they so choose and at the end of the day you'll report back here and remember if anything happens to them it will cause a international problem between villages" Izumo warns this time.

"Yes sir" Sakura bows her head pulling Naruto off to the side as a group of Rain Ninja come through the village gates after they are signed in Izumo gestures them over to Naruto and Sakura and so the long day began "We'd like to go to our hotel" the Rain Jonin snaps and Sakura jumps to her feet bowing low while dragging Naruto with her "Of course right this way" she smiles sweetly glancing briefly at the map and heading in the direction of the hotel the Ame Ninja had been assigned to.

They repeated the process of escorting Ninja from all over to their hotels several times that day after Ame was Grass then Stone, Mist, Sound, Lightning and so on until the only Village left was Sand the sun was swiftly going down as the minutes ticked by and still there was no sign of the Sand Ninja finally several meters ahead a group of four appeared and Sakura could almost cheer because that meant they were almost done with their mission because it was the Sand Ninja they had been waiting for, for hours.

"Please sign in" Kotetsu gestured to the clipboard repressing a shiver as the red-head in the group stared at him before throwing a hand out and pointing in Sakura and Naruto's direction wiping some sweat of his forehead when the group moves in that direction "Come on Naruto" Sakura pulls him up by his arm again bowing low for what felt like the millionth time that day "I assume you are our escorts if so take us to our hotel room please" Baki frowned they were just children but looks were deceiving he thought glancing at Gaara.

"I'm sure it's been a long day and if you would please follow us we will get you right to your hotel Sir" Sakura smiles nicely feeling as if her face would fall of with how much she had smiled that day before taking off in the direction of their hotel no longer needing the map as she had long ago memorized the directions earlier that day after a few minutes of travelling through the village they arrive at a hotel and Sakura leads them through the door Naruto and the Sand team following her through.

Getting the keys from the Inn-keeper she turns and smiles one last time before handing a key to each person pausing when the red-head stares at her blankly before wishing them a goodnight and dragging Naruto out the door back to Izumo and Kotetsu "Alright our job is done for the day right" Sakura asks panting in exhaustion "Yeah your free to go just don't forget to report into Lord Hokage in the morning" Kotetsu waves them off without looking up from the clipboard he was studying so intently.

The next day Sakura and Naruto arrive in the Hokage's office again and watch as he stamps the scroll before handing it back over "Today you two will be helping the Sand Team they've requested you to escort them around the village for the day" Hiruzen peers at Naruto and Sakura briefly before dismissing them "Ok Naruto remember no insulting them and if you even think about opening your mouth" he saw Sakura raise her fist and shake it at Naruto threateningly before the door closed cutting off the rest of the conversation Hiruzen chuckled.

Opening the door to the hotel Sakura looks around and spots three of the four sitting at a table in the back and she walks up to them confidently "Ah it's pinky and blondie" the one wearing the cat hoodie jokes and Sakura's eye twitches before deciding that it wasn't the worst thing she had been called before looking at Naruto who remains silent 'Phew' Inner sighs in relief before fading into the recesses of Sakura's mind "Ah so you're here then" the Sand Jonin appears behind them causing Naruto to flinch at the sudden appearance.

"Right we'd like to see the sights" Baki explains to Sakura who nods "Of course" she smiles sweetly at him as his team rises from the table "This way please" Sakura gestures before leading them outside "Is there anything specific you'd like to see" she asks enquiringly "The Stone-faces" Baki says before falling silent "Alright just follow me" Sakura sighs in relief that it was something simple at first before leading them to the base of the mountain and up the long flight of stairs Naruto dragging behind them.

After 273 steps they finally reach the top becoming level with the Hokage Stone Faces and Baki appreciates them silently while Gaara, Kankurou and Temari wander around "Hey pinky what's your name" Temari calls out to the other female causing everyone to pause "Ah it's Sakura and this is Naruto" Sakura gestures to Naruto who was staring off into distance "Well I'm Temari the eldest sibling next is Kankurou" she points to the boy wearing the cat-hoodie "And then there's Gaara" Temari gestures at the red-head standing on the other side of Baki.

"Well it's nice to finally get your names" Sakura smiles again moving forward when Baki gestures for her to come closer "Sakura-san do you know all the histories of each of your Hokage's" he asks when she's in range and Sakura nods Naruto perking up in interest and inching closer while the others crowd around gesturing for them to sit Sakura gracefully folds her legs underneath her "Which Hokage would you like to know about" she asks politely "All of them if you will" Baki answers in interest.

"Well there's the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju he was known as the god of Shinobi extremely talented at a young age and the only known user of Wood Style along with being the first Medical Ninja" Sakura ticks off "He had three brothers two of which were killed, it is known that he befriended Madara Uchiha at a young age and created the Hidden Leaf Village and became the first Hokage causing other villages to rise and the fighting to settle down" she recites the information she had read before taking a deep breath.

"Ah also the Uchiha and Senju clans were mortal enemies until the Leaf Village was formed but Madara left for unknown reasons, he married Mito Uzumaki who later became the first tailed beast host for the nine tailed fox not much else is known and few Senju remain such as Tsunade Senju his granddaughter who is one of the Legendary Sannin" Sakura finishes looking around seeing Naruto staring at her in awe and the others were just blinking except for Gaara who was still staring at her blankly like yesterday.

"Any questions" she asks patiently "How did he die" Gaara asks in a deep voice "Not much is known some say he died naturally and some others say he was poisoned by an assasin" Sakura explains easily having also had the same question but had never found a true answer and she was as much in the dark as anyone else was "Anyways would you like to hear the history of the other Hokages now" She grins at the group gathered around her and it was clear to anyone that she was obviously in her element.

Baki nods "Alright the Second Hokage was Tobirama Senju the only brother of Hashirama Senju to have survived the war between the Uchiha and Senju he was the one who gave the Uchiha the position of policing the Leaf Village he also created the Impure World: Reanimation Jutsu along with developing the teleportation jutsu he taught the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi along with his teammates Kagami Uchiha and Danzou Shimura he was known for being extremely skilled at Water Jutsu" Sakura paused here taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Not much else is known about him other than his death during a treaty signing ceremony between the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud two rogue ninja by the names of Ginkaku and Kinkaku attacked and before the Second Hokage died he passed on the title of Hokage to Hiruzen Sarutobi" she finished again leaning back on her arms waiting for the others to take in the information she had imparted on them "Go on" Temari announced eagerly and Sakura nodded before taking another deep breath.

"Ok well I've already told you about the First and Second Hokage's so there's the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi trained by the Second Hokage like I said and became Hokage when Tobirama sacrificed himself as a decoy he trained the 3 Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade Senju he made a pact with the Monkey Summons married Biwako Sarutobi and had two children one of which has a child by the name of Konohamaru" she breathed out subtly shifting uncomfortably before continuing.

"He stepped down and passed on the title of Hokage to the Fourth Hokage but when the Fourth Hokage died he stepped up and retook the title of Hokage his other son is Asuma Sarutobi currently a genin instructor" Sakura sighs again shifting when sand lifts her up and she flings her head up to stare at Gaara in shock apparently it was just as shocking to the others as they immediately started edging away from him and her Kankurou pulling a resisting Naruto along with him.

When nothing else happens the others settle down still gazing at Gaara warily "I'd like to hear about this Fourth Hokage" his deep voice speaks up again causing the others to tense but not Sakura who smiles sheepishly before launching into another long explanation "Ah well the Fourth Hokage was known as the Yellow Flash of the Hidden Leaf Village his true name is unknown and it's forbidden to try to find out but there is some information on him" Sakura starts off sighing in frustration causing the others to chuckle excluding Gaara.

"Anyways he made a pact with the Toads of Mount Myoboku and was trained by Jiraiya one of the Legendary Sannin he developed an A-ranked Jutsu known as the Rasengan people feared him on the battlefield because of his knickname he was fast and adapted the teleportation jutsu into formula and whenever he touched someone that formula was left on them and their death was swift hence the knickname Yellow Flash" she explains further dredging up all the information she had found on the Fourth Hokage.

"12 years ago he sacrificed himself to protect the Leaf Village from the Nine-tailed foxes rampage" Sakura finishes as they stand from their seated positions stretching as Gaara retracts the sand he had used to cushion Sakura's knees so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable before Sakura could ask where they would like to go next an irritating voice yells out to her "Hey Forehead I see you've been demoted to babysitting so who's the freaks" Ino yells and Sakura cringes and instantly jumps forward in defence.

"Ino that's enough don't you have anything better to do than to antagonize me and I wouldn't insult them" Sakura snaps standing in front of them defensively anger radiating from every pore "Aww is Forehead gonna cry" Ino laughs wiping tears out of her eyes in her mirth "No but you will be Ino if you don't shut up because I'll go to Lord Hokage and tell him that you insulted his guests" Sakura cocks her head to the side in contemplation while glaring hard at the blonde-haired girl that had annoyed her from the very moment they had met.

Paling at the implication Ino takes a good look at the group standing behind Sakura and notices their Forehead Protectors had a different symbol on them indicating they were from a different Village "I'm sorry" Ino stutters out taking a very large step back ignoring Sakura's warning that she was close to the edge of the cliff and takes another as Sakura takes a step forward this goes on until Ino steps right off the edge and plummets back down closing her eyes Ino feels tears fall from her eyes.

"Damnit" Sakura curses out loud jumping over the cliff side gathering chakra in the soles of her feet and running as fast as she could down the rocky mountain till she was even with Ino and reaching out grasps the other girls arm while using her other arm to come to a slow stop dangling on the side of the mountain now she hefts Ino onto her back and refocuses chakra into her feet and climbs back up the mountain irritated that she had to waste time saving Ino when it was Ino's fault she had ignored her warnings after all.

Breaching the top of the cliff Sakura hefts Ino up over the cliff side and pulls herself up well she would have if it weren't for the sand now holding her up a moment later she was set down "Thank you Gaara-san" she smiles kindly at the red-head before nudging Ino none to gently "Hey wake up" Sakura growls smacking Ino's forehead "I'm not dead" is the first thing out of Ino's mouth and she stares up at Sakura in shock "You saved me forehead" Ino asks feeling sick when Sakura nods frowning deeply.

Pulling Ino to her feet Sakura sighs "You should go Naruto and I still have to take them around the village" she explains and Ino runs off taking care this time as she hurried down the steps Sakura watched her go before turning around and addressing Baki "So where to next" she asks "How about the Tea Shop" Temari pipes up and Baki nods in acquiesce "It's this way" Sakura gestures before heading back down the steps leading the group of five to the center of town towards the tea shop Anko was so fond of.

Arriving they find the shop in chaos as per the usual but it abruptly stops when Sakura and Naruto enter with a group of Sand Shinobi causing Sakura to smile in amusement and turn to Naruto "Looks like Anko-sensei isn't the only one who can stop fights now huh Naruto" she laughs softly causing Naruto to chuckle as they move as a group towards a newly vacated table "It's my treat for the day" Sakura says casually repeated the words Anko had said to them many times after their training sessions.

"Alright then 12 orders of dango's and 6 green tea's" Baki says and Sakura nods waving over a waitress after telling the waitress their order Sakura sits back and scans the place cautiously before settling down deciding there was no threat for the moment or maybe there was as Anko comes flying through the curtain of the shop Sasuke in tow covered in cuts and bruises and whoever knows what else she stops upon seeing Sakura and Naruto sitting at a table with a group of four she had never seen before and smiles at them.

Seeing that smile so reminiscent of Sakura's, Naruto shifts nervously ready to bolt if things got to freaky for his tastes internally lamenting the fact they hadn't asked to go too the ramen shop instead turning around noticing the expression on both of their guides faces Baki notices the purple-haired woman and another boy following behind her as they headed for their table and sits down next to Sakura 'Ah that must be their sensei' he reasoned already guessing why they looked like that now.

"I'm Anko these brats Sensei" Anko introduces herself to the older male before turning to stare at her students curiously "We are escorting Baki-san and his students around the village at his request" Sakura speaks up fearlessly causing everyone to hold their breath only to release it when Anko laughs and pats Sakura on the back harshly wondering how the girl could withstand it but they weren't that curious to find out and they returned to their tasks or returned to eating and chatting when it appeared there wouldn't be anymore outbursts.

Soon enough Baki's order appears and the group of 6 minus Anko and Sasuke who had ordered their own food dug into the sweet dumplings and began sipping at their own tea a few minutes later all the dango had been ate and tea had been drank and Sakura was paying and they were headed out the door of the tea shop Naruto waving to Anko and Sasuke who were still eating "Where to next" Sakura asks "How about to a training field" this time Kankurou pipes up and again Baki nods and they were off to the nearest training field.

Arriving they find it empty and Sakura nods in relief before throwing her arms open wide "Here we are" she smiles widely gesturing at the field behind her "Hey Sakura spar with me" Temari grins at Sakura who nods in acquiesce leaving Naruto to stretch alone looking a little put out until Kankurou approached with the same offer and glee lit up his face before he raced ahead of Kankurou to a different spot far away from the girls who were already stretching warming up for their friendly spar.

Hours later a group of 6 filtered into the hotel they had left behind earlier that morning four of the shinobi exhausted while two were ready to lay down in a bed Sakura grins at Temari thanking her for the spar before bidding the group goodnight and heading home while Naruto went in the opposite direction to do the same the next day found Naruto and Sakura back at the Hokages office waiting for him to give them their orders after stamping their scroll for the third time.

"Today you will be helping Instructors set up for the Chunin exams report down to the Torture and Interrogation office and Ibiki Morino will give you further instructions" Hiruzen dismisses them silently wondering when the duo would begin complaining about the tasks they were being forced to undergo sighing Sakura drags Naruto along behind her and heads straight for Ibiki's office already knowing where to go because Anko-sensei had a tendency to hang out there when she was late for training and they all had to go retrieve her.

Entering the department Sakura makes a beeline straight for Ibiki's office and knocks on the door before gaining admittance "Ah Anko's brats" Ibiki looks up noticing them as Sakura closes the door "Where's the other one" he asks questioningly causing Naruto to start laughing "He's under going stamina training with Anko-sensei" Sakura snickers out from behind her hand before staring at Ibiki innocently and Ibiki not believing her innocent act for even a moment because of the mischevious gleam in her emerald green eyes.

"Alright you two brats your job is to go around and make sure the forest of death is being set up properly as I am much to busy to be bothered and if anyone gives you trouble show them this" Ibiki explains before thrusting a small into Sakura's hand and pushing the both of them out of his office before slamming the door shut and sound-proofing the room so he would have no more interruptions while he tried to work outside the door Sakura was huffing in exasperation and Naruto was blinking in surprise.

Tempted to turn around and kick the door Sakura gave a long suffering sigh before pulling Naruto out of the T&I department building and straight towards the Forest of Death where there were several people setting up booths and making scrolls and sheets heading towards the nearest person Sakura showed the scroll to him before being pointed over to "Kakashi-senpai" Sakura and Naruto exclaim in surprise as they rush over to him causing several people to stop and stare at the duo at their shout.

"Naruto, Sakura what are you two doing here" Kakashi asks staring down at the two genin that had impressed him "Ah well Anko-sensei is training Sasuke and as we have plenty of stamina we've been assigned to helping out with the chunin exams" Sakura huffs out showing Kakashi the scroll Ibiki had given them "Well we need help building another booth" he says simply showing them to the a pile of lumber and giving the two instructions on how to build it not that they would have much trouble with it anyway.

Bending down Sakura tries to pick up one of the pieces of wood but try as she might she couldn't Sakura could already feel sweating pouring down the back of her neck and her hair sticking to her forehead standing up she sighed before bending down again to try again when she felt something wrap around her torso looking down Sakura saw sand wrapping around her torso and her arms and this time she easily hefted the large piece of lumber successfully carrying it over to Naruto and start building the booth.

Sakura only knew one person who used sand and as soon as they were done there she was going to find him and thank him profusely for the help he had given her not to mention treat him to whatever he wanted to eat running back over to the wood she again grabbed a piece and hefted it back to their booth nailing it into the other pieces before building a little table which was soon filled with people placing curtains around it and blocking it off looking around Sakura made sure that everyone was still working.

Satisfied Sakura and Naruto walk back over to Kakashi for more instructions to which he waves them off telling them they were done taking this chance Sakura smiles and bows before rushing back to the T&I department handing in their report to Ibiki before separating Sakura had a mission and she was going to complete it 'Hmmph he could make this a little easier on us' Inner pouts throwing another tantrum causing Sakura to shake her head and almost ram into the person she was looking for if it wasn't for the wall of sand blocking her way.

"Gaara-san" Sakura exclaims looking at the boy quizically when he stands there staring at her "Ah right thank you for the help earlier and I'll treat you to whatever you'd like to eat" she bows at the waist politely before rising into an upright position after a few minutes to find him still staring at her "Um Gaara-san" Sakura asks after a moment "That shop from yesterday" he says simply allowing Sakura to lead him back to the Tea and Dango shop to have a quiet meal before disappearing in a swirl of sand.

'That guy is strange but also very cute' Inner snickers 'But Shika-kun is still cuter' Inner sighs fanning herself dramatically causing Sakura's cheeks to heat up in embarassment and shove Inner into a mental box and lock it tightly before heading home for the night to shower and rest up before the next day to which they repeated the process again and again until finally it was time for the chunin exams to which Anko nominated all three of them for their hard work in training and helping around the village.

"Congratulations you guys you're officially entered into the chunin exams tomorrow go to this building and remember either you enter as a team or fail as a team" Anko told them extremely proud of her three little genin and she just knew that each of them would make it to chunin level in no time especially with her training before dismissing the three with a wave so they could go home and get some rest for the upcoming exams before heading to her favorite dango shop to eat some dango like usual.

The next day Sakura woke early and showering and packing some supplies she headed to the door meeting Shino and their father there it was errily reminiscent of the day they graduated and became genin before ushering them out the door with a good luck Sakura easily found Naruto and Sasuke and she ran up to them "Well Naruto, Sasuke this is it this is where it's determined whether or not we become chunin or are stuck as genin for the rest of our lives" Sakura gulped before grabbing their hands and pulling them towards the next challenge determination clear in her emerald green eyes.


	17. She Soothed the Beast

When they arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village Gaara instantly felt peaceful like all the rage and hatred inside him suddenly went away after signing his name on the sheet he turned with his team and found the cause the closer they got the more relaxed he felt a pink-haired girl with emerald green eyes hopped up and bowed to them he was shocked most people hated him the minute they saw him but this girl was smiling and chattering away as she and her blonde teammate led them through the village to the hotel they would be staying at.

The next day the girl arrives to pick them up and take them around the village showing them the sights Gaara later found out that her name was Sakura Aburame he had noticed while she was telling them the history of the village she kept shifting and so he used his sand to cushion her knee's and she smiled radiantly at him while everyone else edged away in fear but not her she payed no mind to this instead "Thank you Gaara-san" Sakura thanked him and then in the next breath continued on before finishing up with the Leaf's History.

When she stood up a blonde girl came over shrieking and insulting Sakura and Gaara nearly killed the irritating female but Sakura took care of it including saving the idiotic girl when she falls off the cliff when they were done and the female had left Sakura turned them smiling again and then led them to a tea and dango shop paying for their order herself until her other teammate and her sensei appears when they were finished Kankurou piped up and then they were led to the training grounds Gaara watched Sakura spar against his sister he was completely impressed.

Later when they had been taken back to their hotel his two older siblings and his sensei cornered him at the back table "Gaara why are you being so nice to Sakura-san usually you cant stand anyone" Baki asks enquiringly in case he had to warn the Hokage about the homicidal teen "Yeah what's the big idea what happened to the..." Temari spoke up before lowering her voice into a whisper "Plan" Kankurou nodding along next to her as they all ganged up on him Gaara refrained from smirking wanting to drag this out a big longer in amusement.

As the three sit there staring at him the minutes tick by Temari was becoming impatient she really wanted to know what had gotten into Gaara he was different somehow and she really wanted to know 'Damn I already thought that' Temari thought before focusing on Gaara again who with a swirl of sand appears on the stair well leading up to their rooms "She soothes the beast" he murmurs shocking all three of the people staring at him before turning and heading up the stairs to his room while Baki, Temari and Kankurou sit there completely and utterly shocked.


	18. The Chunin Exams Part 2

Walking into the building with her teammates Sakura could immediately tell that there was something wrong shrugging she remembered that they had to go to the third floor and pulls Naruto and Sasuke along behind her up the steps reaching the second floor she figured out what felt so wrong earlier the entire floor was encased in a gengutsu and two chakra signatures she and Naruto had gotten familiar with were standing in front of a door marked 302 which was wrong because it was the second floor.

"Hey Izumo, Kotetsu drop the gengutsu this is the second floor you baka's" Sakura called out shocking the two into dropping their henge and the gengutsu they were using to cloak the floor revealing that she was current "Sakura-chan spoil our fun" Kotetsu pouts while Izumo snickers at him "Well we are all kinda in a hurry and we don't have time to play around" Sakura responds seriously walking passed the two and the rest of the genins that had crowded around on the second floor.

"Hey you with the pink-hair halt" a lavender eyed boy steps in front of her glaring at them 'Hyuga' Inner supplies before fading just as quickly as she had appeared "Excuse me but we are in a hurry" Sakura tried to side step the boy but he was quick on his feet and again he was standing in her way "Alright what do you want Hyuga-san" she asks crossing her arms over her chest in irritation shock briefly shows in his eyes before becoming stoic "How did you know that it was a gengutsu" he asks struggling for words.

Sighing "I have an affinity for gengutsu" Sakura says simply shouldering passed him when he doesn't say anything else still pulling Naruto and Sasuke along behind her a green and black blur speed past her and again Sakura finds her path blocked by another boy "Yes" she snaps growing angrier by the minute clearly the boy wasn't expecting such hostility from her and steps back without saying anything and allows them to continue on their way undisturbed this time before they finally reach the third floor where Anko was waiting for them.

"I'm glad you guys decided to show up now get in there" Anko shoves them through the door and only by Sakura's grace do they not fall flat on their faces turning Sakura silently glared at the shut door before sighing again 'The day has barely begun and I'm already exhausted' Sakura thought noticing a silver-haired boy wearing glasses approach and she instantly felt uneasy about him so grabbing Naruto and Sasuke's hands she pulls them in the opposite direction feeling in her gut that she had to avoid that boy at all costs.

Growling in annoyance Kabuto retreats back to his teammates side eyeing the group of genin as they move closer to the sand team "Oh hey Gaara-san, Temari-san, Kankurou-san" Sakura greets after finding herself standing in front of the three of them "Hey Sakura" Temari grins throwing an arm over Sakura's shoulders and pulling her to sit in between her and Gaara who scooted over to give Sakura room to sit "Wasn't sure you would make it but here you are" Temari smiles gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to sit as well but on the other side of Kankurou.

"Well gotta show everyone what we are made of" Sakura snickers feeling Gaara shift restlessly next to her and she turns her head to look at him in question but he wasn't looking at her he was looking at the boy she had avoided "Gaara-san are you alright" Sakura asks quietly in concern snapping out of his staring Gaara nods at her but doesn't say anything and the room falls into silence until the rest of the graduated genin from her class came barreling through the door Ino in the lead screeching at the top of her lungs.

'Sheesh that's something I'd expect from Naruto' Sakura sighs but otherwise remains quiet until she felt it Ibiki's oppressive chakra baring down on everyone as he poofs into existence in the room "Alright you maggots, Pipe down and listen up" he shouted looking around the room and spotting Anko's brats before settling his face into a glare that would make lesser shinobi wet themselves in fear especially the brats that littered the room fear filled the air and Ibiki smirks before ordering them to line up in front of him.

When Sakura is before him he hands her the slip of paper that would tell her which seat she was in before shooing her away causing everyone stare at him in shock glaring at the group they settle down again until everyone was seated quietly "The rules are very simple you have one hour to complete this test and when there is fifteen minutes left I'll give you the final question and no cheating if your caught cheating three times your out, Begin" Ibiki explains very simply before sitting down in the desk behind him to watch over the time.

Sakura found herself sitting next to Gaara who was staring blankly around the room as they as a whole turned over the sheets on the desk causing Sakura to hold back a snarl 'What the hell this test practically tells us to cheat' she looked over the test paper that held nine question, nine freaking questions that genin weren't supposed to understand 'Well there is one person our Shika-kun' Inner appears and Sakura peers out of the corner of her eye to stare at the lazy pineapple headed ninja she had a massive crush on.

Turning her attention back on the test she wonders briefly how Naruto and Sasuke were doing before picking up her pencil and begin answering the questions with ease next to her Gaara was still peering around the room with his third eye before jotting down answers he picked up from the other genin unknowingly avoiding Sakura after a few minutes he turns his test over at the same time Sakura does when she stiffens and flips her test back over before slumping over in her seat.

'Damn Ino-pig' Sakura resists turning around in her seat to glare at the blonde that had invaded her head to steal her answers only to be nudged out of her anger filled thoughts by Gaara and suddenly she had a thought "Hey Gaara" she whispered so softly he had trouble hearing her nodding his head he waits for what she would say next "Do you think you could somehow get this to Naruto" Sakura asks biting her lip and holding up a sheet of paper that had the answers on it.

Nodding he folds it in his sand and places the paper on the blondes lap before dismissing his sand and turning his attention on Sakura "It's done" he whispers back before falling silent and Sakura watches Naruto very carefully sighing in relief when he doesn't freak out about suddenly having a piece of paper with all the answers on it in his lap she waits a few more minutes before turning her gaze on Sasuke who seemed to be doing well enough on his own before laying head down and closing her eyes after turning her test paper over.

Time ticked by slowly as the scratching of pencils on paper picked up in earnest nearly lulling Sakura to sleep with the rhythmic tapping when a quick nudge to her side jerks her upright in her seat and she turns to stare at Gaara who had that damn sand out again and a smirk on his lips the first sign of emotion she had witnessed from the boy since she had met him glancing at the clock she realized how close she had come to missing the 45 minute mark of their one hour and she nods at Gaara gratefully who grunts softly in acquiesce before closing his eyes.

Finally at exactly 45 minutes Ibiki stands up again staring around the room at the left over genin before speaking "Its time for the tenth question you can choose to answer it and fail if it answered incorrectly or you can leave this room and try again in 6 months" he explains filling the room with his killing intent weeding out a few more genin three people were unfazed by this none more so than Sakura as she stared at Ibiki ignoring Gaara who was staring at her curiously before nodding a slight smile on her lips as she sat back unconcerned.

Seeing that Sakura was unconcerned Gaara also sat back to watch closely something was about to happen he could feel it all of a sudden Naruto raised his hand ever so slowly before slamming it down on his desk spooking the girl next to him as he shouted in his loudest voice yet "I don't quit and I don't run I'll still be Hokage someday even if I'm stuck as a genin for the rest of my life" Naruto shouts plopping back down in his seat after his announcement that seemed to have given the rest of the participants courage as they remained seated as well.

Staring around the room and seeing that no one else was gonna budge Ibiki speaks up "Congratulations you all pass to the second rounds" he says simply chuckling when some of the little genin grumble under their breath "Hey what about the tenth question" Temari pipes up Ibiki was about to answer when Sakura spoke up bravely "There wasn't a tenth question was there Ibiki-san it was a trick to see how many of us you could intimidate into leaving the exam room am I right" she asks smiling at him innocently.

"Anko has rubbed on you to much brat" Ibiki sighed rubbing a hand down his face not for one minute believing the innocent act as the woman her self comes flying into the room "Hey brats my name is Mitarashi Anko and I'll be your proctor for the next exam" she shouts eating a dango as sails into the room landing in a crouch to gaze around the room before turning around and pinning Ibiki with a glare "Hey what's the big idea Ibiki you let to many pass" Anko shouts before sighing in exasperation.

"Listen up brats tomorrow meet me at the entrance of the Forest of Death at exactly 5:00am if you don't show up your disqualified" Anko shrugs unconcerned when cries of outrage reach her ears at her announcement before allowing her eyes to scan the room until they rest on all three of her students nodding proudly she poofs away as the left over test takers file out of the room to head home and rest their heads Sakura hurrying after Shikamaru to talk with him about the test.

"Hey Shikamaru wait up" she called halting the boy in his tracks just outside the building "Yeah Sakura" Shikamaru turns to stare at her in question "What did you think about that test" Sakura asks as they walk side by side after she had caught up with him "It was troublesome" Shikamaru sighs out his favorite word "It was easy admit it Shikamaru" Sakura nudges him in the side with her elbow "What a drag fine it was easy you women are so troublesome" he rolls his eyes before falling silent as they walk together a bit longer before heading home and resting.

The next morning brought storms as Sakura padded her way down to the dining hall Shibi explains that the second part of the exams would continue when it was no longer raining and that the both of them should begin packing a bag for their 2 week stay in the forest of death not very good at packing Shino eyes his sister "Will you help me pack" he says simply and Sakura nods in acquiesce "Of course Shino" Sakura responds as she follows Shino up the stairs and into Shino's room.

Padding around her brothers room Sakura grabs a backpack from underneath Shino's bed and sits it on top of the covers before putting her hands on her hips "Is there anything specific you'd like to take" Sakura turns and looks at Shino who shrugs helplessly rolling her eyes she runs into her room which was next to Shino's and grabs a few of her sealing scrolls before heading back into Shino's to explain the scrolls and how to access them since he had skipped out on the explanation in favor of bug hunting that day so long ago.

"Alright Shino this is a sealing scroll" Sakura held up the unassuming scroll briefly before explaining further "They can store several objects inside and they are easy to access all you need to do is apply a little chakra and create a handsign and poof the items are out for you use and to reseal them use the same concept" she explains handing him a few empty scrolls for him to try out to which he does so immediately easily getting the concept of sealing and unsealing objects within the scroll.

"Ok Shino since you obviously don't have enough supplies for you and your teammates you can have some of my supplies" Sakura offers generously handing over 9 storage scrolls which were filled to the brim with food, pills, medical supplies, extra clothes if they needed not to mention anything else they may need in the forest "Sakura I can't take your supplies" Shino immediately turns down the offer "It's ok Shino your my brother besides I have plenty extra stored somewhere" Sakura admits sheepishly at Shino's questioning look.

"Nevermind that Shino siblings are supposed to help each other out right" Sakura huffs out staring at Shino until he nodded "Then take them" she thrusts the scrolls into Shino's hands and disappears out of his room and back down the stairs at a quick pace "Strange girl" Shino sighs softly before stuffing the scrolls in the pack that was stuffed fulled with even more items that he didn't think he would need but there was no chance in hell he was telling Sakura that after her little outburst.

Locating her dad Sakura slid into his office gracefully "Hey dad mind if I head out for a bit I have to go see Naruto real quick" she panted out in explanation realizing Sakura wouldn't stay away from Naruto no matter how much he warned her away from him Shibi nods his head "Alright Sakura but take an umbrella and don't stay out to long" he responds immediately after Sakura races out of his office calling a quick see you later over her shoulder before grabbing an umbrella and heading out of the Aburame Compound.

Speeding through the rain Sakura arrives at Naruto's apartment complex and takes the stairs two at a time until she was knocking loudly on his door a few minutes later the door cracks open before opening wider to show Naruto staring at her shock "Sakura-chan what are you doing here" Naruto pulls her into his apartment shutting the door quickly "I needed to grab a few more storage scrolls I gave mine to Shino" she explained huffing slightly before straightening and heading right for Naruto's little closet.

"Oh and I'm going to pack three scrolls in a bag for you and you better not forget it Naruto" Sakura warned after grabbing six scrolls 3 for her and 3 for Sasuke "I won't Sakura-chan" Naruto grinned at her before turning serious "I won't let you down" he swore to her and Sakura nodded "Ok Naruto anyways the bag is here by the front door I have to get back so see you tomorrow Naruto" Sakura waved heading back out into the rain speeding back towards the compound without stopping once and still getting soaked.

The maids welcomed her back even though she had been gone for at best 15 minutes and ran up the stairs to shower before hours later heading back down the stairs for dinner which afterwards when Sakura was in her room she put her backpack with all of her supplies in it by her door and laid down in her bed slowly drifting off to sleep her alarm clock woke her up the next morning at 4 and she jumped out of bed grabbing her pack and shoes and was out the door figuring she could eat later.

Along the way she met up with Sasuke and Naruto who were barely awake but still headed in the direction of the forest of death laughing Sakura takes their hands and pulls them along behind her again until they reached the area they were supposed to meet Anko-sensei in of course only a handful of people were there among those people were Gaara, Kankurou and Temari who upon seeing the three approached them Sakura could barely suppress her sigh when she realized that Ino was also there along with Shino who followed her quietly.

Running a hand through her hair Sakura was determined to ignore Ino when her wrist is caught and she looks up to find herself nearly nose to nose with Gaara "Oh hello Gaara-san" she greeted politely feeling sand enclose around her wrist not restricting but just there when Gaara let go of her wrist and walked away she was able to see a bracelet of sand around her wrist where he had been holding her and she smiles "Thank you Gaara-san" she calls out before turning to her shocked teammates.

Ignoring their gazes Sakura looks at the sky watching the clouds float by until she felt their sensei appear in the clearing "Alright listen up the rules are simple survive 2 weeks in the forest of death get a heaven and an earth scroll and make it to the tower in the center of the forest without dying you'll sign these sheets stating that you know that you could die and that responsibility won't fall on me then you'll get a scroll and get assigned to a gate until your let in" Anko states clearly in a foul mood.

Naruto seeing this mocks her and she throws a kunai at him cutting his cheek 'Oh Naruto you idiot' Sakura thought as their sensei appeared behind Naruto who smiled cheekily at her unafraid until a long tongue appears in her vision and Sakura follows it to a woman from the grass village 'Creepy' Inner pipes up before fading leaving Sakura to watch in morbid fascination wondering how the woman got her tongue to be that long it couldn't be anything else other than a jutsu Sakura concluded after a moment as the excitement died down.

Soon enough the three of them were partially hidden behind a portioned off booth if Sakura recalled correctly this was the same one Naruto and her built together before signing the sheet and was given an earth scroll before heading out of the booth Naruto and Sasuke on her tail as they head in the direction of their assigned gate to wait for them to open glancing back she see's Temari and her two brother headed in the opposite direction before refocusing her gaze in front of her until coming to a full stop in front of the gate.

Almost a full hour later the gate swings open and Sakura leads the way into the forest 10 minutes later screams echo around the forest and Naruto steps a little closer but otherwise continues following her through the tree's as they rush pass a group of enemy shinobi who doesn't notice them her gut telling her that they were in danger and Sakura charged on hoping to get further into the forest before night fell more screams sound around them and the three pick up their pace to be even faster than before.

30 miles into the forest the three are met with a wall of wind and are blown away from each other separated Sakura curses and reaches out with her chakra hoping that Naruto and Sasuke weren't to far away a minute later she feels nothing but emptiness and starts walking not wanting to summon Tomo just yet and reveal her jutsu to whoever was in the forest with them at the moment a whistling sounds from behind her and she doesn't have enough time to dodge a kunai comes flying at her.

Freezing Sakura stares in shock as the kunai is deflected by the sand on her wrist it comes to life for a moment before stilling once again to rest on her wrist comfortably now and that's when she feels the malevolent chakra ahead of her along with Naruto and Sasuke's chakra trapped in a genjutsu "Hey Gaara-san if you can hear me somehow or even feel me I need a little cover to save my teammates" Sakura whispers to the sand before charging into the clearing and breaking the two out of the genjutsu standing before them protectively.

A minute later the grass nin has barely anytime to react as her prey disappears from sight in a swirl of sand 'Thank you Gaara' Sakura smirks triumphantly before hiding all three of them underneath a tree and casting a genjutsu to mask their presence their before digging through her pack to grab one of her scrolls and unsealing it she grabs a chakra restorative pill and crushes them into practically dust before shoving the contents into a bottle of water and shaking it vigorously before making Naruto and Sasuke take a bottle each and drink it down.

"Where the hell did you learn that Sakura-chan" Naruto shrieks the minute he was done swallowing the last of his water only to have said girls hand slapped over his mouth hearing her hiss softly in his ear to be quiet or else he falls silent and finally spots the sand on her wrist that he hadn't seen earlier and realizes that Gaara was helping her somehow "It's Gaara isn't" Naruto asks grimly nodding Sakura releases Naruto from her hold and sits back down on her knees to stare at Sasuke who remained quiet thus far.

Orochimaru was angry that pink-haired brat had ruined his so carefully thought out plan as he dropped the disguise of the grass shinobi he had taken on so that he could get close to Sasuke reaching into his pouch he also discovered his heaven scroll missing 'When I find that little bitch' Orochimaru seethed silently stomping through the forest unafraid because nothing in this forest could harm him as he searched for the three sound genin that he had brought with him to test out Sasuke after he had given him the curse mark to tell them the change in plans.

Finding the genin he explains that they should hold off on testing Sasuke until later before locating Kabuto hoping that he had managed to make contact with Sasuke and had some valuable information for him when Kabuto had nothing to report except about the interference of the pink-haired girl who fled at his approach Orochimaru threw a tantrum and destroyed several tree's in the clearing before sighing in aggravation once again swearing that when he got his hands on the pink-haired girl she would die a most painful death.

Meanwhile Sakura was still staring at Sasuke waiting for him to say something when he doesn't she pulls out the two scrolls to wave them in front of the two boys mentally thanking Gaara again "Sasuke look what I have" she snickers when his eyes widen in surprise before the roll in annoyance "I don't want to even know" he sighs speaking up for the first time that morning before sitting up and stretching feeling his chakra slowly restoring as the food pill does its job soon Naruto and Sasuke were back at full strength.

"Ok guys I say we rest here for the night and then head straight for the tower tomorrow it should take us a few hours if we push ourselves and then we can rest for the rest of the time we have left sparring a little bit to keep up with one another practicing moves on each other and generally going over information" Sakura explains and both Naruto and Sasuke nod before pulling out their sleeping rolls and laying them on the ground all three of them huddle close together as night sets in and they fall into a light sleep.

The next morning they pack up and Sakura releases the genjutsu that had protected them during the night scanning the area she waits for a minute before gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to follow her asking the sand to wrap around them just incase they ran into anymore trouble and as before as if the sand itself was obeying her it wrapped around a wrist on each boy and they travelled at high speed through the forest reaching the tower like Sakura had thought a few hours later.

Reaching the door that said Team Seven on it Sakura pushes it open and all three of them enter cautiously in case there was a trap waiting for them but when nothing happens after a few minutes they release a sigh of relief walking over to the chalkboard that had writing on it Sakura reads it before laying both scrolls on the floor and opening them and out came their sensei "Anko-sensei" they all exclaim who was staring at them in amusement and pride and also a little bit of shock.

"Congratulations you three now you can rest easy for the rest of the week" she says simply not knowing what else to tell them as she hadn't had much time to prepare a speech since the exam had only started yesterday afternoon and yet here her brats were standing before her looking a little tired but otherwise unharmed except for a few bruises on them that would surely fade before the time limit ended and the rest of the genin appeared at the tower "I'm proud of you three" Anko murmurs before disappearing with a pop she had work to do.

"Now what Sakura-chan" Naruto asks as they head further into the building "We wait its all we can do until other teams start to arrive" Sakura smiles at him before sitting down on one of the benches that lined the wall closes her eyes and just relaxes several minutes later Naruto and Sasuke watch as her breathing evens out and she slips into a deep restful slumber deciding to the same Sasuke covers Sakura up and lays her down on the bench putting a pillow beneath her head before laying down in their sleeping rolls and falling into a restful sleep unlike last night.

Meanwhile still hours away in the forest Temari and Kankurou were debating with one another as Gaara walked far ahead of them practically leaving them in the dust "It's weird he hasn't had an outburst since we came to this village" Temari huffs quietly "I believe it's by being around Sakura she is soothing to the beast inside of him and it's bringing forth emotions that he had long ago buried with our uncles death" Kankurou says scratching his head in confusion finding no other way to explain what was happening to their little brother.

"Temari, Kankurou pick up your pace" Gaara orders suddenly and soon they are flying through the tree's at a faster pace finally reaching the tower and being greeted by Baki who congratulates them on making it through the forest before leading them out of the room and down a hall only for the four of them to stop in shock at the sight that was before them Naruto was rolled under a bench pressed into the wall while Sasuke sandwiched him in and Sakura lay on the bench all of them peacefully asleep.

"Should we wake them" Kankurou whispers stepping forward only to be stopped by a wall of sand "No let them sleep" Gaara's deep voice resonates through the almost empty building as he settles himself on the floor next to Sakura's head and closes his eyes the picture of relaxation but Temari, Kankurou and Baki knew better and if anyone dared to bother the sleeping kunoichi there would be hell to pay from Gaara because for some freaking reason he had gotten attached to the girl and he was being fiercely protective over her.

Settling down as Baki leaves them Temari and Kankurou fall asleep quickly as well the next morning dawned bright and Sakura woke early briefly wondering how she had ended up laying down until she realized the blanket and pillow and looked down seeing Naruto and Sasuke below her on the floor before stretching looking around Sakura is shocked to find Gaara and his siblings there as well and she wondered what they had missed while her and her teammates had been sleeping.

Sensing Sakura was awake and moving around lightly Gaara opened his eyes to stare at her he was about to speak when another team comes through the door and stops and stares at the 6 of them in aggravation well one did the other two were rather passive one showed concern and the other just stared curiously before shrugging and sitting down as far away as possible this caused Sakura to roll her eyes and slip off the bench hands on her hips "Is that anyway to greet your sister Shino" she looked at the boy sighing in exasperation when he doesn't say anything.

Upon hearing Sakura's voice the four that were still asleep woke and stood up stretching Naruto and Sasuke glaring at each other each blaming the other for rolling to close in their sleep and Sakura turns her emerald gaze onto her teammates effectively stopping their argument right in it's tracks before sighing again and sitting donw when the two move out of her way "What do we down now Sakura-chan" Naruto asks curiously "Now, now we wait Naruto" Sakura pats his hand tenderly it was going to be a long two weeks she thought pouting.


	19. The Search for Lady Tsunade Part 1

It was a slow two weeks with team arriving every few days Sakura and the others sparring lightly or studying as much as they could "Psst Sakura-chan" Naruto calls out one night when there was only one day left of the two weeks they had been given "Yeah Naruto" Sakura turns her head tiredly she had been teaching herself a little bit of medical ninjutsu and it was taking a lot out of her "What do you think will happen tomorrow" he asks "I don't know expect the unexpected" she shrugs simply before falling silent and drifting off into sleep.

The next day Sakura nudged Naruto and Sasuke awake feeling suddenly very uneasy before walking over to Gaara who had practically remained glued to her side during the two weeks pulling Naruto and Sasuke with her feeling safe now "Sakura-chan" Naruto pouts wiping the sleep from his eyes "Hush now Naruto" Sakura gives him a pointed glance before glancing around the room again and finally spots the object of her unease the silver-haired boy from the written exam.

Sakura watched as he spotted them and began walking towards them only to pause and head in the other direction she wondered what caused him to halt when she felt Gaara shifting restlessly next to her "Gaara" Sakura whispers softly placing her hand on his arm and just like that the shifting stops and he settles back down all of this was watched by Temari and Kankurou and they stared at her in awe nobody ever touched Gaara the sand always came up to prevent it.

All of a sudden there was a loud commotion as the last genin team come barreling through the door causing Sakura to let out a gasp "Shikamaru" she calls out running over to the boy Gaara and the others trailing behind her "What the heck happened" Sakura bends down next to the cut and bruise riddled boy "We were ambushed" Ino gasps out breathing heavily "Can you stand" she asks and the three nod struggling to their feet before letting Sakura lead them to the bench she had previously vacated.

Running through a set of handsigns Sakura's hands glow a soft green and begins healing the worst of the cuts and bruises on Ino who stared in astonishment before she moved on and healed Chouji and then Shikamaru last who seemed to have the worst of the cuts and bruises before sitting back on her knees and swiping the sweat off her forehead digging into her pouch she pulls out a food pill and pops it in her mouth feeling her chakra restore immediately as Naruto helped her to her feet staring in amazement.

"When the heck did you learn that little trick Sakura-chan" he asks pouting that she hadn't taught him "Something I've been practicing for the last couple of weeks while we've been here" Sakura shrugs looking the three over once more before deeming them healed enough "To be honest I didn't think it would work" she says again causing Ino to gape at her "You mean you did that without knowing if you could actually heal us" Ino shrieks standing up and pointing an accusing finger at Sakura who smiled sweetly sending shivers of fear racing down her spine.

Ino couldn't quite put her finger on it but Naruto, Sasuke and especially Sakura were all different somehow but Sakura was definitely scarier than the red-headed boy standing next to her and that was saying something a suffocating aura was pouring off Sakura in waves and she left like she was being strangled by invisible hands a minute later the feeling stops and she stares wide eyed at Sakura who grinned innocently at her before skipping off after handing a some food pills to Shikamaru for them to use.

"Sakura-chan" Naruto grasps her sleeve staring up at her with a pout on his whiskered face "Yes Naruto" Sakura asks already knowing what he was going to ask "I'll show you later after this part of the chunin exams is over" she sighs out causing Naruto to let out a happy shout before falling silent as sensei's from other teams start appearing and knowing that their sensei was part of the exam Sakura follows the others pulling Naruto and Sasuke with her Gaara staying close until Baki leads them to a different part of the room.

"Sakura-chan" a familiar voice appears behind her and a heavy hand is set on her long pink locks ruffling her hair turning she gives Kakashi a slight glare while swatting his hand away "Aww Sakura that's no fun" Kakashi pouts behind his mask "Don't mess with the hair Kakashi-senpai" she responds to his pout with another glare before smiling and giggling at him as a few people drop out of the competition including the silver-haired boy that made her seriously uneasy every time she saw him.

In no time at all the next proctor for the exams Hayate Gekkou is explaining that since there were to many genin left they would have a preliminary round to cut them down to about half soon the fights are underway with genin from all teams being paired against each other Sakura cheering on her friends and teammates and quietly chatting with Kakashi until her name is brought up on the electronic board along side Ino's name and she jumps over the railing waiting for Ino to make her way down to the arena.

"Forehead girl just give up now" Ino smirks at Sakura flinging an insult when she stood in front of her long-time rival at least in her mind anyway "No way Ino-pig your so going down" Sakura insults her right back a frown tugging her lips down settling into a fighting stance that protected her on all sides while Ino stood there smugly "Begin" Hayate calls out Sakura immediately jumps backwards watching Ino carefully a few minutes pass with the two girls sizing each other up before Sakura suddenly disappears.

'What the hell' Ino's eyes widen when Sakura disappears from sight along with her chakra looking around warily Ino is unprepared for the punch the side and she flies sideways to land against the wall with a thud standing on shaky feet Ino tries to bait Sakura into revealing herself "Come on forehead girl to scared to face me like a true kunoichi" she calls out in false confidence only to be flung away from the wall as she is grabbed and thrown to the otherside of the arena like a ragdoll.

After standing again Sakura finally reveals herself the picture of concentration no expression was in her eyes and they had darkened to a forest green taking this as her chance Ino charges Sakura fist flying only to trip over her feet as she is sent careening past Sakura who side-stepped her and headlong into another wall this time bashing her head against the concrete 'Oww hell that hurt' Ino thinks blinking sluggishly as Sakura picks her up and sends her flying back across the room to her starting position "Come on Ino stop playing around we aren't academy students anymore" Sakura scolds harshly.

"All this has ever been to you is a game Ino and it's about time someone showed you differently" Sakura pulls her hair up into a pony tail reminiscent of her sensei's and gets into another fighting stance "Oh and you think your the one to teach me huh Forehead girl" Ino stands anger radiating from her as Sakura stands there impassively and unimpressed "That's another thing Ino quit with the names we aren't little kids anymore now take me seriously and don't hold back I'm not a weak little flower anymore" here Sakura smirks for the first time since the fight began.

"Why you little" Ino was now furious Sakura was treating her like a baby and it was pissing her off "Fine Sakura you want me to take you seriously so I will" Ino snaps falling into Sakura's trap hook, line and sinker as she loses her cool and falls into a sloppy fighting stance "Ino, Ino, Ino" Sakura tsks out loud further taunting the blonde "Your stance is sloppy and I stop several weaknesses" she throws her hands in the air with a dramatic flare spinning out of the way of the kunai Ino had thrown at her.

"Ah there's another thing your aim is terrible" Sakura teases playing with Ino now that she knew she wasn't a serious threat even with her clan jutsu at her disposal "Ah, ah, ah Ino-chan" Sakura blocks the punch Ino had aimed at her head and shoves her back sending her flying once more only this time Ino landed on her feet "Oooh there you go Ino your finally getting it" she taunts some as Ino shrieks at her in her fury "Stop messing with me Sakura or your gonna get it" Ino screams charging forward only to trip over Sakura's foot.

Above Naruto was cheering her on "Kick her ass Sakura-chan" he calls out "Hey Sasuke who do you think is gonna win" Naruto rounds on Sasuke "It's obvious the winner is gonna be Sakura" he says simply watching Sakura bait Ino and letting Ino tire herself out as the girl falls into Sakura's trap over and over again "It's an excellent strategy that she's using isn't it Sasuke" Kakashi speaks up beside him and he nods in understanding "Yeah this way Ino tires herself out and Sakura doesn't have to do much other than dodge" Sasuke explains cringing.

Below Sakura had just punched Ino on her face and now her jaw was dislocated "Awwwwwww" Ino screams in pain tears falling from her eyes as she holds her jaw gingerly now staring at Sakura in obvious fear 'She's really gonna kill me unless I do something' Ino thinks eyes wide and backing away when Sakura starts walking towards her and then she smiles performing the handsign for her jutsu only to black out as Sakura punches her head too late to do much more than slump to the ground collapsing on the spot.

Ino is taken away on a stretcher to be healed while Sakura heads back up into the stands "That was harsh of you Sakura" Sasuke smirks at her and she shrugs "Ino needs to learn that she can't play around being a shinobi isn't a game and she needs to start taking people seriously and start fighting seriously or someone is going to do a lot more damage to her than what I do" Sakura explains sitting down next to Naruto as Hayate calls for a 30 minute break to stand stretch their stiff muscles and generally move around before the next match.

About 10 minutes later Ino trudges up the stairs to the stands and walks over to Sakura who jumps to her feet "Your right Sakura I'm sorry for not taking you seriously or being a ninja seriously" Ino says simply before moving passed her and to her teammates who pat her on the back comfortingly Shikamaru smiling at her and mouthing a small troublesome before turning back to sit on the bench next to Choji after Ino rolls her eyes and tells them to buzz off as she sits next to her sensei Asuma Sarutobi.

A minute later Gaara appears next to Sakura in a swirl of sand causing most people to shift away from them in fear having heard horror stories about a boy in the sand village who used sand to kill his victims in his rampages Sakura was used to this and simply waits for Gaara to say whatever he wanted to say because he obviously wanted to tell her something after a few minutes he looks her in the eyes his pale green irises staring at her in contemplation and nods before patting her head gently.

"Well done" Gaara says finally gathering more sand and putting it around her wrist "Thank you Gaara that's high praise coming from you" Sakura smiles at the red-head sweetly before he disappears in a swirl of sand and appears next to his team who after months of this were finally used to his new attitude towards the world and were no longer fazed by his comings and goings and instead were secretly celebrating because Gaara was no longer angry and they knew if they went out they would need to bring Sakura with them.

The rest of the break passed peacefully until the next fight pairings are revealed the fight was brutal as the Hyuga boy that had called out to her before the beginning of the written exam attacks Hinata viciously in the end she is sent crashing to the floor her heart almost giving out and this pisses Naruto off who swears to defeat him in the next round of the Chunin exam and fights continued on until there was no one left except for Gaara and Rock Lee who was on the Hyuga boys team.

The fight started out normally until Lee took of his leg weights and actually got through Gaara's defense of sand and Sakura knew that if she didn't stop him Lee would end up dead and she calls out to the boy who had become her friend in such a short time "Gaara you've won please if you don't stop you'll kill him" Sakura pleads Gaara pauses and lets the sand drop restoring his sand armor that Lee had broke waiting until he was called winner to which he immediately appears next to Sakura.

His mannerisms were shy and repentant as if he knew he had done something horrible "Gaara it's ok" Sakura soothes fighting with herself not to smile because it was the last thing that Gaara needed as he practically glues himself to her hip "I'm sorry" Gaara whispers leaning his head against Sakura's shoulder feeling like a child again and wishing that she would scold him properly "I already told you its..." Sakura trails off noticing Gaara's expression and she sighs wishing that she didn't have to shoulder this particular responsibility.

"Gaara what you did was wrong and you need to learn a little more control you can't kill everyone just because they get through you ultimate defense and it will happen again" Sakura steps away from him hands planted on her hips scolding Gaara harshly "I won't always be there for you Gaara and you need to learn how to stop yourself from losing control like that again" she softly smacks his forehead before turning away from him hoping to show him that she was serious with her scolding also knowing she was probably the only person that could get away with it.

Glad that she had scolded him Gaara grasps Sakura's elbow in thanks before heading towards his team where the proctor called down the winners to the arena where they drew numbers which would determine who they fought against in the next rounds which were lined up like this Shino vs Kankurou, Temari vs Shikamaru, Sakura vs Dosu Kinuta, Naruto vs Neji and Sasuke vs Gaara with that the genin head back to their sensei's while Sakura and her teammates head over to Kakashi who was waiting for them.

Grabbing hold of the genin he teleports them back outside the forest of death where Anko was waiting for them "Congrats for making it through to the final rounds now there's 2 months before the next round and I've found teacher for each of you to train with" Anko explains "Sasuke you'll be training with Kakashi, Naruto you'll be training with Jiraiya as he specifically asked to train you and Sakura you'll be with me and Ibiki" she ticks off before teleporting away to do whatever she usually did.

"Alright well I'm gonna head home and get some sleep" Sakura waves disappearing from sight as the runs home meeting Shino along the way and walking with him the rest of the way home "Sakura well done" Shino greets complimenting her on making it through to the final rounds of the chunin exams "Thanks Shino" she smiles at him before being hugged by their father her gives her another round of congratulations leaving Sakura embarassed as the maids chuckle at her expense.

The next day Sakura arrived at their usual training grounds late only to find Anko not there "Ah if your looking for Anko she's in the Hokage's office with Ibiki you should hurry" her father appears unruffled and holding her pack out 'Ohh thanks Anko-sensei for telling me' Sakura huffed before speeding through the streets of the Leaf Village flying up the steps of the Hokage Tower and down the hall towards the Hokage's office immediately being let in after knocking on it just once and there her sensei stood next to Ibiki.

"Sakura we'll be training outside the village for the next two months so if you'd like you may go tell a couple of your friends that you'll be gone" Anko turns to her female student who nods and runs back out the door "So you want us to find Tsunade is Jiraiya and Naruto coming with us" she asks and Hiruzen nods "Jiraiya has already been briefed and he was told to tell Naruto but I doubt he has" the Hokage sighs again "Go find him Anko quickly before Sakura-san tells him she's leaving" Hiruzen tells Anko who heads out instantly.

"Hey Naruto pack for a couple of months your leaving the village with your trainer" Anko appears behind the boy who stares at her for a moment before shouting in excitement and running back to his apartment to pack just as Sakura comes zooming by and she grabs the girl by her shirt collar "Woah slow down there pinky Naruto will be with us on the trip so don't worry about him" Anko pulls the girl to a stop choking her for a second before releasing the shirt collar and she zooms off in a different direction.

"Hey Temari, Kankurou where's Gaara" Sakura comes flying around the corner nearly ramming into the two "Don't know" they answer simultaneously growling in frustration she tries to locate the red-heads chakra again with out much success 'Sand if you can hear me take me to Gaara' she pleads with the sand on her wrist and then she is swept up in a swirl of sand coming nose to nose with Gaara, Sakura breathes a sigh of relief before pulling him into a hug tightening her arms around him when he returns the gesture.

"Gaara I'm going to be leaving the village to train with my sensei" she pants out once she had released him from her hug a frown eerily reminiscent of a pout appears on his face "Why Sakura" he asks and Sakura sighs sadly "Not sure but I'll be back before you know it" she tries to grin before tying a red ribbon around his wrist "For luck it's not like your sand but I hope you keep training in self-control Gaara" Sakura gives him another little hug before waving and hopping of the tree branch they had been standing on "I promise" softly floating after her.

"About time you got here brat" Anko glares at her and Sakura bows lows "Sorry Anko-sensei I had to find someone" she grins sheepishly as Naruto and another male rounds the corner Sakura's eyes widening as she realizes just who this guy is before she can say anything though Anko pushes through the gates and out onto the path heading for Tanzaku Town the last place Tsunade had been seen several minutes of travel later Sakura falls back to walk even with Naruto while staring at Jiraiya.

A minute later he turns his head and catches her staring before picking up Naruto and setting him on the other side of him to walk closer to Sakura "What's your name kid" Jiraiya asks curiously "It's Sakura Aburame" she dips her head in acknowledgement "And your Jiraiya one of the three Legendary Sannin known to have been trained by the third Hokage and trained the fourth Hokage when you were young you made a pact with the Toads of Mount Myoboku where you trained until you became a Toad Sage" Sakura announces causing Jiraiya to throw his head back and laugh raucously.

"You've got spirit little girl" he pats her on the back "Yeah pinky there is definitely something else" Anko calls out from the lead without stopping or looking back "Hey Sakura-chan remember you promised that you'd teach me that trick you used during the chunin exam" Naruto pips up a pout on his lips and fake tears threatening to fall from his eyes and Sakura sighs "Alright Naruto come here" she gestures to the spot on the other side of her before going through the complicated task of teaching Naruto medical ninjutsu.

"Ok Naruto show me the handsigns again" Sakura asks again and Naruto slowly does them grinning when Sakura gives him a small smile "Good job now got through them again and call up your chakra" she instructs showing Naruto a couple of times before letting him try and after a few minutes a green glow appears around his hands and Sakura lets out a happy cheer "That's it Naruto you've got it all that's left is practice" she pats his head giggling when he loses his concentration and the green glow fades.

"Hey brat where the hell did you learn medical ninjutsu" Anko yells from the front again "I read it in a book and practiced it while we were in that tower" Sakura answers "Pinky I swear your not a normal genin" Anko sighs rubbing a hand down her face all of this caused Sakura to laugh "I'm sorry Anko-sensei but that's not the first time someone has told me that" she says and Anko rolls her eyes looking back to glare playfully at her pink-haired student "So Anko-sensei what are we leaving the village for anyway" Sakura finally asks.

"Ah we never did tell you did we" Ibiki speaks up this time and Sakura pouts "No you didn't" causing everyone to laugh at her "We are looking for Tsunade Senju we've caught wind that something is going to occur during the last fight of the chunin exams" Ibiki explains seriously causing Sakura to pale "But that's Sasuke's and Gaara's fight" Sakura exclaims loudly fearing for both boys safety "It's just what we heard Sakura don't freak out yet" Anko swings her head around to look at the panicking pinkette.

"Don't worry about Gaara, Sakura-chan he'll be fine and with how close you two are I'm sure he wouldn't do anything that would hurt you" Naruto grasps Sakura's hand staring up at her the conviction of her words ringing through her ears and she smiles down at him fondly patting his hand "Thank you Naruto you're right about Gaara he wouldn't hurt me ahhhhh" Sakura trips over a snake the sand around her wrist cushioning her fall before picking her up and this causes everyone to stop and stare at her "What the fuck is that around your wrist Sakura" Anko asks furrowing her eyebrows in concern.

The shock of Anko using her name and the curse word causes Sakura to pause for just a minute before grinning innocently at her "Don't give me that look Sakura that shit don't work on me" Anko smirks chuckling when Sakura pouts "Gaara gave this to me before we entered the forest of death" Sakura finally explains rubbing a finger over the sand bracelet watching as Anko stalks towards her and takes her wrist in her own hand "Has it ever hurt you Sakura" Anko asks scanning the sand with her eyes.

"No Anko-sensei Gaara has never hurt me in fact he's one of my closest friends" Sakura smiles at Anko who finally releases her wrist eyes wide in shock "He's the demon of the Hidden Sand village loves no one but himself kills ruthlessly without remorse and he's one of your closest friends" Anko snarls fearing for her student "Anko-sensei from the first day I met him I've always known he was different but I can say for certain that Gaara has changed" Sakura says firmly her voice full of conviction.

"What the hell pinky I'll believe you only because your my student" Anko sighs before turning her attention on Naruto "If anything happens it's up to you Naruto to make sure pinky here gets to safety" she says before turning back away and start walking again "I promise Anko-sensei but I don't think Gaara would ever hurt her" Naruto calls out surprised that he had been brought into the conversation before shrugging and practicing the jutsu Sakura had just taught him hoping to make her proud and get it quickly.

A few hours later the group of 5 reach a town and Anko heads straight for a hotel "Come on you guys lets rest here for the rest of the day and get going tomorrow Sakura your sharing a room with me" she calls out before stalking into the hotel and getting two rooms one for the girls and one for the guys "Hey Anko-sensei can I go explore the town" Sakura asks sitting on the bed that was furthest away from the door and windows "Sure pinky just make sure your back before 11" Anko waves her out of the room without looking up.

Sakura hopped up from the bed and ran out the door looking around the town for awhile before she heard loud cursing coming from behind her and she looks back noticing a man with violet eyes and silver hair wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it "Jashin Fucking Damn It" the man cursed again running his hand through his silver hair and Sakura being the good girl she was decides to ask him whats wrong "Hey Mister is everything alright" she asks walking up to the man "The fuck do you care bitch" he curses at her.

Unfazed by the mans foul mouth "Just thought I could help" Sakura shrugs "Bitch you think you can fucking help me hahaha that's hilarious" he laughs swearing loudly again "Alright fine bitch I lost my fucking pendant and I can't do rituals without it oh by the way bitch my fucking name is Hidan" he curses even more before finally telling her his name and Sakura shrugs her interest peaked "Mine is Sakura but call me whatever you want and does your pendant carry your scent" she asks curiously.

"The fuck if I know bitch" Hidan swears again "Ok well I'm gonna summon someone who's good at tracking scents" Sakura turns away for a moment before summoning Tomo conversing with him for a moment before gesturing at Hidan "Tomo-kun I need you to help us locate Hidan-san's pendant do you smell his scent anywhere in the town" Sakura asks grinning gleefully when Tomo squeaks in affirmation "Where is it Tomo-kun" she asks again watching as he flies next to Hidan and pulls a pendant out of the hat attached to his cloak.

"What the actual fuck" Hidan curses himself for his stupidity before "Thanks bitch" he pats her head before turning and walking away "Wait Hidan-san you said rituals what kind of rituals" Sakura asks curiously keeping up with his fast pace through the village "You interested bitch" Hidan asks and Sakura nods eagerly "Come on then my treat for helping me find my fucking pendant bitch" he gestures to the tea shop and Sakura squeals excitedly before rushing in after him "I love sweets" Sakura says smiling.

After their order had been set on the table Hidan starts up the long process of explaining his religion "So it's like this bitch I have this religion called Jashinism my god is called Jashin he's the Lord of Slaughter you fucking with me so far bitch" he asks stopping and looking at her "Of course Hidan-san" Sakura nods leaning forward eagerly for some more information "Fucking good" he smirks before launching into an even more detailed explanation about the blood letting rituals and of course the immortality and pain turning into pleasure.

"You got that bitch" he asks holding open the curtain for her "Hell yeah Hidan-san" Sakura smiles impishly at him before running off to Jashin fucking knows Hidan smirks before heading outside the village where his partner waited for him "You'll never fucking guess what happened to me shitface" he curses causing Kakuzu to roll his eyes "Shut up Hidan or I'll kill you" the green eyed man says and start walking meanwhile Sakura had made it back to the hotel all the information Hidan had given her about Jashin running through her head.

'It's affirmed after the chunin exams end I'm going to find whatever information I can on Jashin' Sakura swears to herself before laying in bed drifting off to sleep the next day Anko nudges her awake and she jumps out of bed grabbing her pack and following her sensei down the stairs hoping they found Tsunade without to much trouble and with that the group of five head out of the little village heading straight for Tanzaku town 'I really hope Gaara is ok' the thought flies through Sakura's head a few hours later.


	20. The Search For Lady Tsunade Part 2

While the group was travelling to Tanzaku town Orochimaru was having a chat with Baki and it wasn't going well "I want that little pink-haired bitch dead Baki tell Gaara he's the one who's going to do it" Orochimaru threatens gold eyes narrowed into slits "Orochimaru I'm afraid that, that is no longer possible" Baki sighs not wanting to hurt the one thing Gaara protected "Why the hell is it not possible" Orochimaru snarls "Gaara cares for her and Sakura-san is the only one who can control Gaara" Baki shrugs helplessly smirking at the arrogant snake summoner.

"Are you telling me a little pink-haired girl can control Gaara to the extent that said boy protects her" Orochimaru grasps a handful of Baki's jonin vest and shakes the man violently "That's right Orochimaru which means our deal is off" Baki pries Orochimaru's hands off of him and turns and walks out the door "You'll regret betraying me Baki of the Hidden Sand" Orochimaru's threatening voice comes from behind him but Baki continues walking away deciding to do what he should have done the first time Orochimaru approached the Hidden Sand Village with a offer.

Changing his direction Baki heads right for the Hokage tower "Excuse me is the Hokage busy" he asks the secretary "I don't believe Lord Hokage is in any meeting right now" she looks up at him eyeing his headband warily "Is there anyway I could speak with him now" Baki asks urgently hearing the Sand-nins words something in his tone made the secretary pause for a moment "Of course just go up those steps and to the end of the hall" she gestures allowing him by and Baki quickens his pace hoping to warn the Hokage of Orochimaru's presence in the village quickly.

Knocking on the door to the Hokage's office Baki waits for admittance a moment later a voice from within calls out "Enter" and he does so "What is it" Hiruzen eyes the man curiously as Baki gazed around his office before focusing on himself "Lord Hokage I hate to admit this but The Hidden Sand and the Hidden Sound villages were planning a coup de ta" Baki sighs out causing a flurry of activity to happen and Baki found himself bound by shadows "What is the meaning of this" Hiruzen stands his face etched in fury at the words Baki had just spoken to him.

He was about to have the man thrown in a cell when realization dawns on him "You said were what happened to change that" Hiruzen sits down gesturing for Shikaku to release Baki who sits in a chair that was in front of his desk "I'm sure you know about this but Gaara has a tailed beast inside of him and up until we came to this village he was emotionless and cared for no one" Baki explains feeling sick at what the Kazekage had planned with Orochimaru "Go on what happened that would cause you tell me about this attack" Hiruzen asks noticing Baki grow pale in thought.

"It changed because of Sakura-san" Baki looks straight at Hiruzen "Ever since we met her Gaara has gained a protectiveness over her that he has never given to anyone else and because of that Orochimaru wants her dead essentially Sakura Aburame ruined Orochimaru's plan to take over the Hidden Leaf Village" Baki says dead serious staring at Hiruzen fear in his eyes "You don't have to worry Baki, Sakura isn't in the village right now and we'll make sure she is protected when she comes back" Hiruzen soothes Baki 'I am definitely getting to old for this' he thinks.

"What do you mean Sakura-san isn't in the village" Baki asks in confusion "Yesterday Sakura, Naruto, their sensei Anko Mitarashi and two others left the village to go find Tsunade Senju and bring her back here you see I expected an attack of some sort to happen I just didn't think that the Hidden Sand had a part of it" Hiruzen explains "Let Gaara go after her please I don't think it's a good idea to separate the two" Baki pales further images of utter destruction and ruin flashing through his mind at what Gaara would do when he found that the pinkette wasn't in the village.

"Are you sure it's wise to let him go alone and it would take at least 2 days for the boy to catch up with them" Hiruzen raises an eyebrow at Baki who stares back at him "I shudder to think of the destruction that Gaara could cause when he realizes Sakura-san is no longer in the village" Baki represses a tremble of fear as he tells the Hokage his thoughts who sighs "Fine but you and the other two genin on your team must go with him" Hiruzen finally relents dismissing Baki with a wave who heads out of his office to go find the genin team he had been assigned to.

While Baki was searching the village Temari was trying to get Gaara to come down out of the tree he was sulking in "Come on Gaara and lets go to your favorite teashop" Temari calls out sighing in exasperation when the boy just continues staring blankly ahead "Gaara stop sulking what would Sakura-chan think if she saw you" Temari tries again "I'm not sulking" came floating down to her but Gaara still didn't move an inch "She said she'd be back didn't she I'm sure she didn't mean for you pout the entire time she's gone" she tries this time sighing tiredly at Gaara.

"I'm not pouting" Gaara sinks further into depression causing Temari to stamp her foot in agitation "Gaara you come down right now and stop this nonsense" she threatens but even that doesn't faze the boy "Gaara I'm gonna give you to the count of three if you don't come down I'll tell Sakura when she gets back that you didn't behave and then she'll scold you again" Temari yells throwing her hands up in frustration beginning her count down when Gaara appears before her and she flinches back in shock upon noticing the absolute fear etched into Gaara's eyes.

"Please Temari you can't tell Sakura I'll behave I promise" he drops his pale green eyes onto the red ribbon tied around his wrist 'Awww that's just to cute' Temari struggles not to laugh as she tries to find something else to talk about now that he was finally listening to her "Did Sakura-chan give you that ribbon" she asks when they walk through the village towards the tea shop they all frequented this being the first time they had gone with Sakura of course "Yes she said it was for luck" Gaara speaks up as they sit and order 4 sets of dango and 2 green tea's.

While they were waiting for their order Kankurou comes into the shop "I see you got Gaara out of the tree" he says as he sits next to Temari who nods "What did you say to him cause I tried everything" Kankurou nearly threw his hands up in the air "I told him that if he didn't come out of that tree I would tell Sakura-chan that he didn't behave himself while she was gone" Temari whispers in her slightly younger brothers ear "You should have seen his expression it was pure terror" she giggles softly when Kankurou grins and grabs a stick of dango from their order.

"Hey get your own Kankurou" Temari quickly snatches the stick out of his hand and eats it smirking when he stares at her pouting "Fine" Kankurou sulks but orders his own set of dango and his own green tea a while later after they had eaten and drank their tea the three siblings sand and exit the shop only to stare in shock as Baki comes running down the street nearly passing them in his hurry before skidding to a halt a few feet away "Pack up we are leaving the village Sakura-san is in danger" Baki breathes hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.

"What do you mean Sakura is in danger" Gaara speaks up his voice full of the fury he was feeling and a fleeting look at his face said even more his lips were pulled back in a snarl and hatred filled his eyes for the person that dared threaten the one person he wanted to protect more than himself "I broke Sand's deal with Orochimaru and the Sound Village" Baki breathes standing straight now this caused the two older sibling to stare at him in shock "You mean we aren't going to attack the village anymore" Temari lets out a relieved sigh when Baki nods at her.

"Oh thank god I don't think I could have done it anyway especially since we got to know Sakura-chan and her idiotic teammate Naruto" Kankurou speaks the words all of them were thinking "We have permission from the Hokage to leave the village and go after Sakura to protect her from any attacks Orochimaru may orchestrate while she is out of the village" Baki explains further which makes the sand sibling take off in the direction of their hotel to immediately begin packing Baki following behind them at a fast pace to do the same.

'I knew I should have followed her and then she would be safe' Gaara snarls in his thoughts passing by a group of genin who give him nearly the entire street to walk on as he walks having chosen to instead of using his sand to travel places like he usually did Shukaku agreed with him 'It's to late for that all we can do is catch up to her and make sure she stays safe' the one tailed demon speaks rationally for once 'Gaara didn't you give her some of your sand' Shukaku asks suddenly causing Gaara to curse and pick up his pace to catch up with his siblings to tell them.

Only to be stopped when the boy called Shikamaru steps in front of him the blonde girl Sakura fought and their other teammate trailing behind him "Hey Gaara have you seen Sakura lately" Shikamaru asks Ino had been bugging him for two days to find Sakura and he thought who better to ask than the boy Sakura seems to have gotten close to and more often than not was found hanging out with "She isn't in the village" Gaara says simply having no time to waste and sidesteps the group of genin and continues on his way to the hotel they had been assigned to.

"There you are Gaara" Temari says as his older siblings step out of the hotel with Baki behind them and holds out a pack for him to take "I know how to get to Sakura without taking the time to try and catch up with her" Gaara announces "How" Kankurou furrows his brows shouldering his pack "Before the forest of death I gave her some of my sand for protection it's around her wrist" Gaara explains gesturing for the four before him to grab hold of some part of him and then he would transport the group as a whole to where ever Sakura currently was with his sand.

Back with Orochimaru "Dosu I have something I want you to do for me" Orochimaru smiles at the Sound Nin it wasn't an ordinary smile either it was one made of pure hatred and Dosu nods "Of course Lord Orochimaru" he bows his head following Orochimaru to a place outside the village so that they could speak freely with one another without the fear of being overheard by someone they didn't want hear whatever they would be speaking about "What is it" Dosu asks while Orochimaru gathers his thoughts to tell him whatever it was that he wanted him to do.

"Your match is against Sakura Aburame correct" Orochimaru asks hatred leaking into his words "Yes Lord Orochimaru" he says in affirmation "During your match you are to kill her" Orochimaru says decisively fury in his gold eyes "Of course Lord Orochimaru for I am your servant and I will do as you wish without question" Dosu bows lows repressing a shiver of fear as Orochimaru walks away chuckling darkly heading back to his teammates he thinks of several scenarios that would lead to killing the girl his master apparently hated deeply if his words weren't enough.

What neither Dosu or Orochimaru knew was that someone had overheard their conversation Kakashi Hatake had been taking a quick nap in the tree they had been standing below and had woken up and masked his chakra when he felt two chakra below him his eye had widened when the younger of the too addressed the older one as Lord Orochimaru and lets not forget to mention their plan for Sakura Aburame the pink-haired girl everyone seemed to care for and Orochimaru and the Sound Genin were apparently plotting to kill her during the final rounds.

To say Kakashi was furious at the plot to kill the girl who called him her senpai was a clear understatement and in a swirl of leaves he appears in the Hokage's office startling Hiruzen with his abrupt entrance "What is the meaning of this Kakashi" Hiruzen shouts startled at the amount of fury Kakashi was showing in his onyx eye "Are you aware there is a plot to kill Sakura Aburame" Kakashi speaks deliberately slow "I was to some extent and you don't have to worry she will be well protected" Hiruzen speaks soothing another shinobi this time one of his own.

"How can you be certain" Kakashi asks sitting in a chair when Hiruzen gestures for him to have a seat "You aren't the first shinobi to come into my office today to ensure the protection of young Sakura" Hiruzen sighs blowing out a puff of smoke which Kakashi waves out of his face "Baki of the Hidden Sand requested to take his team out of the village to go find her and I'm sure young Gaara will not let anything happen to her" Hiruzen says finally "Now Kakashi aren't you supposed to be training the young Uchiha" he asks smirking when Kakashi flounders in surprise.

Seeing the obvious dismisal Kakashi gives Hiruzen a two fingered salute before disappearing the same way he came swirling in to go find Sasuke and drag him off to train finding the boy already at a training ground he shows him the handsigns to chidori after having Sasuke show him his awakened Sharigan and when he does Kakashi gestures for Sasuke to practice which he does so while Kakashi leaps up into another tree to watch and relax while also reading Icha, Icha Paradise his beloved orange little book that Sasuke thought looked absolutely stupid and dumb.

Meanwhile after travelling the entire day the group of five had finally reached Tanzaku town Naruto was about to begin complaining when Sakura lets out a shriek of surprise from behind and as a group he and others turn to look only to find Sakura nose to nose with "Gaara" Naruto shouts running over to the trip and finding himself flat on the ground because of Gaara's sand "That was mean" Naruto sits up rubbing his nose while Sakura points and laughs and said boy smirks at him "Don't rush at me like that" Gaara chuckles attaching himself to Sakura's side.

Anko was about to jump to Sakura's side and pull her away from Gaara when she notices how relaxed the red-head was standing next to her pink-haired student and decides to just leave it be "Hey Sand boy don't you dare hurt her or you'll be dealing with me" she instead threatens before stalking over to Baki who had been staring in astonishment "So what brings you this far out of the village" Anko asks him who snaps to attention "I got word from valuable resources that Sakura-san was in danger and I got permission from the Hokage to come out here" he explains.

Understanding flashes through Anko's brown eyes when Baki lowers his voice so that the person in question wouldn't hear "Explain later for now we have a mission of importance" Anko waves him off walking over to Ibiki and telling him that she was going to find a hotel and to have him get the kiddies help out with searching for Tsunade before disappearing around a corner "Alright you brats I don't care how you conduct your searches but we need to get a move on finding Tsunade so go search" Ibiki stalks off after Anko after commanding the group to start.

Gaara was a little offended that the woman who was obviously Sakura's sensei would imply that he would ever hurt Sakura "Sakura I'll search with you" he tugs on her hand pulling her in a different direction away from the group sighing at Gaara's moodswings Sakura giggles twining their fingers together in a totally platonic way and walking along side him so that he wasn't pulling her arm out of it's socket "So what are you doing here anyway Gaara" Sakura asks curiously when the boy remains silent after walking past several food and toy booths in town.

Suddenly Gaara stops and grasps his shirt right where his heart was and turns his head to look at her with obvious pain in his pale green eyes pulling them to a stop Sakura gasps "Gaara what's wrong" her gut clenches in worry as she leads them over to a bench "Why does it hurt so much" the red-head asks as Sakura makes him sits down on the bench "Why does what hurt Gaara you need to tell me so that I can help you" Sakura creases her forehead in even more worry when Gaara rubs his chest through his red shirt "Here" he points but doesn't elaborate.

"Your heart hurts" Sakura asks eyebrows furrowed in concern and puts a glowing green hand over his heart hoping to find out what was causing her friend so much hurt "Yes, whenever I think about you getting hurt my heart throbs so painfully" Gaara gasps out staring up at her tearfully which causes Sakura to throw her arms around his shoulders and hugs him tightly sobbing and laughing all in one breath "Oh Gaara you silly boy" she pulls away sniffly lightly.

Back with the others Naruto had paired up with Kankurou and Temari went with Baki none of them realizing the scene unfolding on the other side of the town between Gaara and Sakura while they searched for the elusive Sannin none of them realizing that Jiraiya had slipped off to stare at women bathing the minute they had arrived in the village which he always called research but he was really being a peeping tom and it was only a matter of time until he was caught by several women and as per the usual he was chased and had things thrown at him.

-Back in the Leaf Village-

Shikamaru was exhausted Ino hadn't believed the red-head when he had said Sakura wasn't in the village and so she had made Chouji and him search the entire village including going looking for Gaara who like Sakura was no where to be found all of which caused Ino to shriek in fury balling her hands into fist and rage around the village and all the way to the Hokage Tower to ask the Hokage where Sakura was but was denied entrance because the Hokage was in a very important meeting so now she was throwing a tantrum and beating the hell out of a poor tree.

"What a drag" Shikamaru sighs out laying down on a patch of grass to do his favorite thing in the world cloud watch remembering his academy days when Sakura would join him when they had recess and they would sit there and doze off which brought up another question Shikamaru thought 'I definitely know I like her but the question is does she like me' he contemplates folding his hands behind his head and watching weird shaped clouds drift by as he though 'There is no way she likes me' Shikamaru concludes feeling jealous at the thought of Sakura not with him.

He is abruptly pulled out of his rather confusing thoughts when a screeching blonde lands on top of him "What the heck you troublesome woman" Shikamaru yells holding Ino's hands away from his face and standing up "Spar with me" Ino snaps shaking with suppressed rage "Go find Asuma-sensei you troublesome woman" Shikamaru counters promptly dropping Ino's hands and taking several steps away from her who was now visibly vibrating with fury at the lazy pineapple headed boy "Shikamaru" Ino grinds from between clenched teeth stalking forward.

Shikamaru gives a weak laugh and abruptly disappears right as Ino lunges at him who shrieks again as her target flees from her on the other side of the village Kakashi realizes he had forgotten to tell the Hokage about Dosu and what he was told to do during his match with Sakura before shrugging and deciding that he had more than enough time to tell him about it before settling back against the tree and watching Sasuke try the chidori again right as Ino Yamanaka comes flying into the clearly clearly furious and punching and cursing at a pole.

-Back in Tanzaku Town-

Sakura was about to tell Gaara that he didn't have to worry about her especially since he was always with her when a black-haired woman approaches "Hey is he alright" she asks looking between the two teens worriedly "Yes, ma'am Gaara will be ok" Sakura jumps up from her seat on the bench at the sight of the stranger and stands in front of Gaara protectively "Hey it's alright no need to be afraid I'm a medic nin and I'm fully qualified to treat people" Shizune raises her hands to show she didn't mean harm to the two kids who were clearly shinobi from two different villages the pinkette being from the Hidden Leaf like herself and the boy from the Sand.

"Your a medic nin" Sakura perks up stretching from her protective stance "Yes I was taught by Lady Tsunade herself" Shizune boasts proud of her Shisou before freezing guilty "Oops can you forget I just said that Aieeeeeeeeeee" Shizune backs up and trips over a rock "Owwwww" Shizune complains rubbing her sore bottom looking up when a shadow falls over her "You said Lady Tsunade we are here actually looking for her" the girl chatters excitedly while pulling Shizune up from the ground and not letting go of her arm while searching for someone.

"Why are you looking for Lady Tsunade" Shizune asks trying to pry the pink-haired girls hand off her arm but fails spectacularly "Lord Hokage wants her to come back to the village to help out in the hospital" the girls speaks up after a few moments "Please take me to Lady Tsunade" the pink-haired girl turns suddenly a cute pout on her lips and her emerald eyes wide and innocent and Shizune falls for the act "Alright I will just stop looking like that by the way my name is Shizune" she sighs out when the look proves to be to much for her to handle and starts walking.

'Cha you go Outer' Inner cheers while Sakura bites her lip trying to retain her innocent act and not burst out laughing 'Man this lady is a sucker for an innocent face' Sakura snickers internally while following Shizune and tugging Gaara along by his hand as the black-haired woman leads them to a private hot spring "Oh right Shizune-san my name is Sakura and this is Gaara" Sakura smiles sweetly before gesturing at Gaara "She's in there but be careful Lady Tsunade is in a foul mood" Shizune warns which Sakura promptly ignores and heads inside to pay for her short visit.

Hearing splashing on the otherside of the curtain that blocked her view Sakura was mentally cursing herself as she realizes her current predicament 'Why didn't I drag Shizune in here with me' Sakura lamented at the fact before taking a deep breath and opening the curtain charges through only to be met with the larger pair of breasts she had ever seen "HEY" Tsunade shouts when a pink-haired girl rams right into her breasts "I'm sorry Tsunade-san" the girl mumbles peeling herself out of from between her breasts and backing away laughing weakly.

'Damn it I told Shizune not to tell anyone I was here' Tsunade sighs calling up her chakra so that she could knock the girl out pausing when the girls emerald eyes stare at her innocently "Did you need me for something you obviously came here looking for me" Tsunade asks instead "Ah yes Lord Hokage wants you to come back to the village to help out at the hospital something is about to happen and we need all the help we can get" Sakura explains sensing the older womans waning patience and her rising anger if the twitch by her eye was any indication at all.

"I'm sorry kid but I'm not going back now please leave so that I can get back to my relaxation" Tsunade dismisses her with a wave of her hand causing Sakura to gape at her "Lady Tsunade the village is gonna be in danger we need your help" Sakura tries again being persistent and this further irritates Tsunade "Brat I don't care I left the village a long time ago" Tsunade turns her glaring honey brown eyes onto the brat that wouldn't leave her alone "Please Lady Tsunade I won't stop bugging you until you agree to return to the village with us" Sakura glares right back not relenting at the glare holding her ground against the older female who was being rebellious.

"Why you little snot nosed brat" Tsunade stands up again after sitting down and walks over to Sakura having had enough of the girls attitude and whacks her right over her pink-haired head causing her to fall to the ground groaning and holding said head and then as Tsunade watches her hands glow green and the lump that Tsunade had given her was healed and the girl was jumping up on her feet and glaring at her again "Lady Tsunade I'm sure you have valid reasons for leaving the village but we need you" the girl snaps at her tired of playing Tsunade's game.

But Tsunade was no longer arguing with her she was staring at her in amazement "Who the hell taught you medical ninjutsu you little brat" Tsunade was suddenly very close to her and it made Sakura uncomfortable "I taught it to myself" Sakura takes a step back "And my name is not brat it's Sakura" she glares "That's impossible you executed that jutsu perfectly someone had to have taught you" Tsunade announces grabbing Sakura's wrist and pulling her into the changing room to get dressed before pulling her outside where Shizune and Gaara were still waiting.

"Shizune have you been teaching this girl medical ninjutsu" Tsunade pulls Sakura forward to stand in front of her "No Lady Tsunade" Shizune answers in confusion "I'll ask you again who taught you medical ninjutsu" Tsunade pins Sakura with her furious honey brown eyes again "I already told you I taught myself during the second part of the chunin exam" Sakura shouts drawing a crowd of bystanders who were watching the fight in interest but also keeping their distance from the two clearly volatile kunoichi none of them daring to approach and intervene.

Tsunade went to slap Sakura again when she swung through air looking around she found the girl standing behind a red-head who had a snarl on his lips "If you dare touch her" Gaara threatened in his eyes the argument had gone on long enough "And Sakura was telling the truth she taught herself during the second part of the chunin exam" Gaara snaps tensing when the blond-haired woman comes towards them "Hold it there brat I'm not going to hurt her" Tsunade represses a shiver of fear at the look in Gaara's eyes and holds up her hands to show him she was serious.

"I'm sorry kid I didn't mean to take this argument so far" Tsunade directs her gaze onto Sakura who was staring at the red-head a soft look in her eyes a far cry from how she looked a few minutes ago when she was arguing with her "It's alright Lady Tsunade and I apologize for Gaara here he's a bit" here Sakura trails off tapping her lip with a finger in thought before shrugging "Different" she says simply grinning cheekily when the boy turns around pouts at her "Sakura" Gaara sulks grabbing her hand again and twining their fingers like she had done to him earlier.

Tsunade smirks seeing an opportunity to tease the two teens "Are you two together" she asks watching in satisfaction as Sakura turns a bright red and squeaks "No Lady Tsunade, Gaara is special to me yes but we aren't like that" Sakura coughs out glaring at the older female for even implying that she was with Gaara like that who only appeared to stare blankly at Sakura who knew better Gaara was extremely confused and had no idea what either female was talking about and she promised silently that she would explain later even though it would be difficult.

While all of this was going on between Tsunade and Sakura the other seven were wandering around on the other side of the village still looking for Tsunade "Where the heck is this Lady" Naruto complained for the 18th time in the last 4 hours causing Kankurou to glare "Naruto seriously shut up and keep looking" he sighs hoping that his threat would work but of course "If Sakura-chan was here she would whack me over the head or glare" Naruto spouts causing Kankurou to stare at him weirdly 'Ok those two have a weird friendship' Kankurou thought.

Jiraiya was searching every casino and bar while Baki and Temari were wandering around aimlessly having no clue as to what Tsunade looked liked or even where she liked to frequent "I wish we had asked Sakura-san for information on Tsunade-san before she and Gaara took off" Baki sighs out causing Temari to snicker at him from behind her hand but ultimately end up agreeing with him and while they were wandering around Anko and Ibiki were searching through every hotel Tanzaku town had growing irritated before ultimately deciding to give up for the day.

Sakura had led Tsunade and Shizune to the hotel that Anko had entered and given her shinobi ID over to be inspected before being given a key and directions to the room she had been assigned "It looks like no one is back yet" Sakura laughs sheepishly before offering to get some food after taking down both womens orders she drags Gaara out of her room by the hand and runs right into "ANKO-SENSEI" she yells excitedly "I found Lady Tsunade she's in there" Sakura lowers her voice before hurrying down the steps of the hotel and out onto the street again to get the food.

After getting the food Sakura and Gaara walk back to the hotel and drop it off in Anko's room before exiting quickly and entering her own Gaara trailing behind her realizing this Sakura shifts awkwardly "Sakura what did that woman mean earlier when she asked if we were together" Gaara asks his red eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Sakura sighs out internally cursing Tsunade "Well she meant if we were a couple" Sakura answers scratching her head struggling to find the right words so that it would be easier to explain too Gaara what being together meant.

"What does being a couple mean" Gaara asks again Sakura having expected this gestures for Gaara to sit down "Well it means we would do things other people wouldn't who aren't a couple for instance holding hands like earlier, I'm not saying it always implies people are together because friends do it to also they would share kisses always want to spend time with eachother and most of all it would mean they love each other, the kind of love they would feel is different than what we feel" Sakura explains hoping Gaara got it this time because it was getting awkward again and she was feeling really uncomfortable now with the entire conversation.

"Kisses what are those" Gaara asks his interest peaked now causing Sakura to let out a long suffering sigh "It's basically where boys and girls press their lips together" Sakura rubs her temples only to squeak in embarrassment when Gaara quickly leans forward and presses their lips together before quickly leaning back "Gaara" Sakura blushes a dark red her entire face covered in it "Are we a couple now Sakura" Gaara asks cocking his head to the side in confusion and this caused Sakura to smile at the boy before shaking her head causing Gaara to frown.

"Gaara you're one of my precious friends" Sakura starts before trailing off as she wrings her hands together nervously while staring at him sadly not wanting to hurt Gaara's feelings and lose the friendship she had with him "But I already like someone else" she finishes clenching her eyes shut waiting for Gaara to get angry at her a minute later she feels a hand on top of her head and she slowly opens her eyes to peer into the pale green of Gaara's eyes "It's ok Sakura I some what understand" Gaara smiles at her softly and this causes Sakura to burst out crying.

Fear enters his eyes as his pink-haired friend latches onto his shirt burying her head in his neck all the while crying her heart out he hadn't meant to hurt her and Gaara honestly wasn't sure what exactly he had said to make her cry like she was all of the commotion brings her purple-haired sensei to come crashing through the room and seeing her pink-haired student in distress turns her glaring brown eyes on him "What the fuck is going on in here" Anko seethes frustrated that Gaara had broken his promise to her and had made Sakura cry.

"Anko-sensei it's not Gaara's fault" Sakura pulls away sniffling but smiling causing Anko to blink in confusion "If it's not his fault then why the hell are you crying" Anko snaps "Ah well about that, it's not really important now" Sakura squeaks out her blush deepening causing Anko to stare at her before throwing her hands in the air and storming out of her assigned room "By the way your rooming with the blonde girl" Anko throws over her shoulder slamming the door behind her causing Sakura to burst out laughing this time and turn to Gaara and apologize to him.

That night Sakura couldn't sleep so she started writing a letter to Hidan asking more questions about his religion and such and why he wore a black cloak with red clouds on it and also why his finger nails were painted a dark blue cause it was such a girly thing to do before signing her letter in a way he would recognize and summons Tomo "I have a favor to ask" Sakura holds up the letter "Anything Sakura-sama" Tomo squeaks out "You remember the guy from yesterday Hidan-san can you take this letter to him" she asks and Tomo flies rapidly up and down before allowing Sakura to strap the letter to his tiny body before taking off into the night while Sakura layed down and finally fell asleep a couple of hours later he found Hidan sitting next to a giant blue man and promptly drops the letter in the silver-haired man's lap.

"Sakura-sama asked me to give that to you Hidan-san" Tomo squeaks out disappearing with a puff of cloud "Who the fuck is Sakura" trailing in the wind Hidan looked down at the unassuming letter trying to figure out if he had met anyone by the name of Sakura lately but he couldn't recall so with Kisame prodding at him to just read the damn letter he opens it and nearly drops it in surprise at the contents chuckling Hidan reads the letter out loud to Kisame who stares at him in confusion.

*To Hidan-san*

(I'm sure your wondering who I am already so I'll just ask my question first before clueing you into my identity since I'm sure you've already forgotten me I wanted to ask you more questions about Jashin such as what do you have to do to become a member and where do I acquire the ritual items I'm very curious about trying it out also do I have to sacrifice people all the time or can I choose my own targets also how do you become immortal is it something that comes with becoming a Jashinist or did you do something special to attain your immortality statis.

Anyways moving on what the hell is up with that cloak of yours I know you explained briefly about your group but you didn't really tell me and another thing didn't you know painting your fingernails in nail polish is girly and why on earth would you do such a girly thing like that even I don't do that anyways that's all the questions I can think of for the moment and write after I sign this letter I plan on going to sleep so goodnight Hidan-san and I hope you enjoy your night doing whatever it is you usually do.)

*Signed: The Fucking Bitch*

After reading the letter out loud Hidan's violet eyes widen in remembrance 'Of fucking course it has to be that pink-haired fucking bitch' Hidan thought smirking "Hey Kisame I have somewhere to go probably won't be back for a couple of days" he hops up transporting himself to Tanzaku town taking off his cloak and head-band to be less conspicuous finding a small hotel and checks in to wait for morning to arrive until he could find a way to approach the little bitch that had the guts to send him a letter and call him girly for painting his fingernails and all the other things.

The next morning Sakura is pushed out of bed she lands on the floor with a loud thud letting out a small ooof as she does so looking up she realizes it was her sensei who had done the act "Sensei is there a reason you pushed me out of bed" Sakura asks questioningly as she stands and brushes herself off "I'm glad you asked pinky guess what your doing today" Anko smirks freaking Temari out who had awoken when Sakura had landed on the floor "Training" Sakura asks smartly grinning cheekily when Anko glares at her "Just for being a smart with me your training is going to be especially hard" the purple-haired woman snaps "I would expect no less of you Anko-sensei" Sakura skips by her on the way to the bathroom to dress for the day.

"Why you cheeky little WHY COULDN'T I HAVE GOTTEN A NORMAL GENIN TEAM" Anko screams probably waking the entire hotel while Sakura laughs hysterically from within the bathroom "Ahahahahahahahahaha I'm sorry Anko-sensei lets go train and then you can beat the hell out of me" Sakura grins innocently at her and Anko rolls her eyes "There is no way I believe that innocent act Sakura you learned from me after all" the woman smirks causing Sakura to let out a giggle before following her out of the hotel and out of the town everyone following them.

"It's been awhile since we've sparred pinky so I want to see some improvement" Anko says settling into a loose fighting Sakura doing the same across from her and thats when they hit the first road block everytime Anko went to attack the sand around Sakura's wrist would rush to her defense "Can't you control that sand Sakura" Anko stops suddenly glaring at her "Hehehe sorry Anko-sensei I'll try" Sakura says and walks right over to Gaara determination clear in her eyes and everyone watched to see what she would do when she stopped a pout clear on her lips.

"Gaara I can't train when your sand comes rushes to my defense maybe while I am training you could take it off and put it back on immediately after" Sakura flutters her lashes at the boy while smiling sweetly who sighs and grasps her wrist removing the sand with that done Sakura runs back to Anko and jumps right back into training without missing a beat and that's how the rest of the day was spent and when it was over Sakura walked back over to Gaara and held out her wrist to which he reattaches his sand "Thanks Gaara" Sakura hugs him quickly in thanks.

Sakura was about to start forward when she felt a presence hiding in the tree's "Hey you guys go on ahead of me and that means you to Gaara I want to explore some I'll be fine" Sakura flashes him a quick smile and waits until everyone had re-entered the town Gaara dragging behind everyone in an obvious sulk "Hidan-san I know your there why don't you come down now everyone is gone" Sakura calls jumping to the side when the silver-haired man falls out of the tree right where she had been standing frustration clear on his face.

"The fucking hell you fucking bitch how the fuck did you know I was there and don't give me some bullshit about having seen me because I was fucking hiding real well and I was fucking masking my chakra to" Hidan flies into a curse filled speech as soon as he hits the ground which causes Sakura to go into her second laughing fit of the day "I'm sorry Hidan-san but you weren't masking your chakra as well as you thought or either my chakra detection skills are getting better" she laughs causing Hidan to growl and stalk over to her threateningly.

Right as he's about to smack her on her head sand comes up and stops him "Bitch I swear" Hidan sighs before dropping his hand to instead pull the girl to stand next to him and drags her up into the tree he had been hiding in "So what brings you here Hidan-san" Sakura asks when her arm is let go "Your fucking letter you bitch the one you sent me with your bug friend" Hidan curses again "Ohhh that's right I almost forgot about that" Sakura laughs again before falling silent as she looks the silver-haired man over finally realizing that he was missing a few items.

"So your interested in Jashinism so for a few hours each day at the end of your training session with your sensei meet me here and I'll teach but be prepared because it's not easy" Hidan says smirking when Sakura stares at him "Hidan-san I think that's the first whole sentence you've said around me that doesn't have a single cuss word in it please don't do that again it's creepy when you don't curse" Sakura shivers slightly "Alright bitch I'm gonna teach you how to pray to Jashin now so listen up" Hidan tells her holding up his pendant and to begin praying.

"Jashin, Lord of Slaughter hear my prayers I offer you pain of myself your faithful servant" here Hidan cuts off and pulls out a kunai and slices his wrist allowing blood to bubble and then drip off his wrist down to the ground below "The blood you so desire of my evening ritual" Hidan cuts his other wrist allowing it to do the same "Today I bring in a new follower" Hidan stops again this time holding out a pendant exactly the one he was holding to Sakura who was staring in morbid curiosity.

"Fucking bitch take the pendant" Hidan thrusts it into her hands before turning on the branch to face her "Do as I fucking do" he orders and Sakura nods "Let it be known that this day forth Sakura Aburame is my understudy" here he nods at Sakura who takes the bloodied kunai from him and slashes her own wrist while threatening the sand on her wrist not to stop her when the blood begins pooling on her darkened clothes Hidan jerks her wrist over the side of the tree causing Sakura to hiss in pain at the movements.

"Bitch" Hidan says warningly and Sakura laughs before falling silent as Hidan continues the ritual "Jashin Lord of Slaughter if you accept your new follower give me a sign" he finishes while taking Sakura's unslashed wrist in his hand and the kunai carving the circle with the upside down triangle into her skin a few minutes pass when Sakura notices her skin glowing red and she hisses in pain before unimaginable pleasure floods through her making her feel faint and then a soft pop and a scroll lands in her lap.

"Well done young Jashinist your first ritual is complete but be warned you will not be immortal until you have proven yourself" a dark malevolent voice fills the air as the sky darkens around the two "Everything you need to know about your new religion is in that scroll along with a few special items from myself" the voice finishes with a dark chuckle before the sky lightens again "You must have impressed Jashin fucking bitch" Hidan chuckles after a few minutes noticing that the symbol on Sakura's wrist was healed and scarred.

"That was Jashin" Sakura squeaks out which Hidan ignores "By the way Jashin accepted you as my understudy so I guess you could count me as one of your sensei's now too bitch" he smirks causing Sakura to gape at him "Well don't just sit there open the fucking scroll and see what Jashin gave you" Hidan orders and Sakura scrambles for the scroll in her lap pausing for a moment when she realizes her wrists were healed and does a handsign on the scroll that reveals the items within.

"Cool" Sakura stares in amazement at the scythe that looked eerily reminiscent of something that she couldn't recall at that exact moment it had one sharp double edged blade on it with what she guessed was Jashin's symbol all over it and the whole thing was her favorite color dark green with pink cherry blossoms on it along with the circle and upside down triangle looking closer she noticed her name inscribed along the bottom of the scythe in a lime green this time with pink cherry blossoms at the beginning and end of her whole name.

Besides the scythe she got senbon needles also dark green tiny cherry blossoms etched into each one along with a new set of kunai and pikes in all different sizes of course all of the new weapons were dark green and had those cherry blossom etched into each and every one of them the piece to resistance was the short sword the blade itself was a pitch black but the hilt was again dark green and had blood red cherry blossoms on it instead of pink and of course her name etched in lime green with the blood red cherry blossoms at the beginning and end of it.

Along with all of this she got a book on Human Anatomy which she would read later and two more books on Jashinism itself of course she couldn't forget the two dark green pendants with Jashin's symbol also getting a bunch of medical supplies which she had no idea what to use them for and to top it all of she got a new outfit which Hidan made her try on almost immediately after he had seen it she watched as he walked around her before whistling lowly "Jashin must of really fucking liked you fucking bitch" he cusses in awe.

The heeled boots were a deep forest green with red trimming around the edges and of course they had blood red cherry blossoms etched into them along with her clan symbol the socks she wore were replaced with blood red socks with dark green cherry blossoms etched into them moving up instead of her regular light outfit she now wore knee length shorts the same color of her shoes and a thigh length skirt the color of her socks the shirt she wore now was left partially open revealing her stomach and it was pitch black like her blade with lime green trimming.

Of course it also had the now expected blood red cherry blossoms and the Aburame clan symbol etched into it Sakura also now had a leather trenchcoat a blood red with lime green trimming and dark green cherry blossoms and that completed her new outfit Sakura also found hair bands and hair ties in the same colors of her new weaponry and outfit "Geez fucking bitch I which I had a fucking outfit like that" Hidan smirks ruffling her pink hair when he pauses and gets closer.

"Bitch you might want to pull out a mirror and fucking look at your hair" Hidan's eyebrows furrow in surprise which causes Sakura to look at him in concern before doing the same the minute she looks at her hair she realizes why Hidan looked like he did "The fuck is that" she curses ignoring Hidan's smirk because there on the tips of her bangs the pink had been bleached out and was now a light silver much like Hidan's hair "Bitch congratulations welcome to Jashinism meet me here tomorrow" he waves and disappears chuckling as curses follow him.

Cursing Sakura sighs before replacing the outfit with her regular one not wanting to let anyone know just yet about her new religion before taking off into town realizing how dark it had become the next day the process repeats but this time she has some questions for Tsunade who was a little put out that she had been hooked into returning to the village "Hey Lady Tsunade I have some medical questions I want to ask you" Sakura walks right up to the blonde woman who stares down at her curiously with a nod.

"If you were facing off against someone who used sound as their primary weapon how would you protect yourself from being affected by it even if you plug your ears your still affected because of the water in your body how would you stop that from happening" Sakura reels off immediately after getting the go ahead from Tsunade to ask her questions "Use your chakra control to prevent that brat I'm sure you can figure the rest out by yourself" Tsunade answers flippantly not wanting to admit she was curious.

"How hard is it to learn about human anatomy" Sakura asks again wondering how long it would take before Tsunade snapped at her "It's difficult go read a book and stop bugging me about it brat" it took a few minutes but Tsunade had finally had enough and snapped storming off to go to a bar while Sakura was dragged off for another day of training and afterwards she waited for Hidan to show up while she was waiting she replaced her clothes with the ones Jashin gave her and put on her pendant and left one of her new kunai out while staying alert.

A few minutes later she felt Hidan's chakra in the tree and so Sakura jumped up in the tree to stare at a smirking Hidan "So what did your friends say when they fucking saw your hair bitch" is the first words out of his mouth "They asked me what had happened and I told them I decided on a change so I dyed the tips of my bangs silver and they accepted it no other questions asks you fucking prick" Sakura snarls at him "I wish you had fucking warned me about that" Sakura snaps at him pouting holding up her hair lamenting that it wasn't all pink now.

"Sorry Bitch but you got to fucking admit you look fucking good in that outfit" Hidan smirks proud of his apprentices choice of language "Yes, I love this outfit it's so comfy" Sakura grins "Let's get on with the ritual I read a bit of one of the books pertaining to it and I want to try some things out" Sakura huffed bouncing lightly on the branch in her eagerness "Calm down fucking bitch your gonna break the fucking branch" Hidan cusses right back which stills Sakura who still stared at him eagerly waiting for him to say something else.

"Why don't you fucking start the ritual tonight bitch" Hidan smirks causing Sakura to laugh in glee "It's my pleasure fucking prick" she smirks and holds up her dark green pendant "Jashin Lord of Slaughter hear my prayers I, Sakura Aburame offer you my blood in my second ritual" here Sakura pauses and slashes her arm dragging the kunai from her wrist to the inside of her elbow setting off millions of pain receptors using the new information she had gained from the human anatomy book she had read last night when she couldn't sleep.

"I offer my body for your pleasure" she switches hands doing the same as she did with the other arm "And my servitude until you deem me worthy to become a full member of your religion" she stabs the kunai into her stomach "I pledge my life to you in gratitude for accepting me as your loyal servants understudy and I will spend every moment I have to please you and him" Sakura cuts off again driving the kunai into each of her legs and shoulders spilling more blood before handing it over to Hidan so that he could finish their evening ritual until tomorrow.

"Jashin Lord of Slaughter I, Hidan offer you my blood my body and life to continue serving you Lord Jashin free our mind of the pain and give us pleasure" Hidan finishes cutting the same places Sakura had before being filled with the mind-numbing pleasure as the pain fades moaning loudly while Sakura pants softly as they pass out simultaneously a few minutes later they both wake up Sakura healing her wounds when done she almost offers to heal Hidan when she watches in awe as his wounds close up.

"Do your wounds heal quickly because of your immortality Hidan-san" Sakura asks while changing out of her outfit behind a tree while Hidan watched the sun go down further "That's right bitch I won't be here tomorrow so it's up to you to fucking perform the ritual yourself" Hidan answers before disappearing from the clearing as Sakura came out from behind the tree shaking a fist at him "Why you asshole" Sakura mumbles walking back into town as the sun sinks below the horizon her stomach rumbling loudly indicating that she hadn't eaten since lunchtime.

And thats how the next 6 and a 1/2 weeks went Sakura training during the day with either Ibiki or Anko while Jiraiya dragged Naruto off to train as well the other 4 sparring lightly with one another or going off for training when they got bored and by night Sakura doing her now nightly blood-letting ritual with Hidan checking on her every few nights after gaining permission from his leader to do so until finally it was time to return to the Leaf Village with Gaara's help of course as he transports the entire group back with his sand.

"I for one am glad we are back home" Sakura sighs out happily before skipping off "Just make sure you rest up Naruto, Sakura" Anko calls as the two head home after weeks of rough training "Of course Sensei" they call back before speeding off in opposite directions after a few minutes Sakura arrives home for the first time in what felt to her forever speeding passed the welcoming committee Sakura flies into her fathers office to hug him tightly.

"I'm home" she mumbles against his large overcoat clinging tightly for a moment longer before finally releasing him and sitting down in a chair in front of his desk "Welcome home Sakura" he ruffles her hair glaring at the silver "I think it's finally time for you to learn how to summon Rora" he ignores the silver bangs for the moment "Are you serious dad" Sakura perks up "Yes, now you will tell me what is that in your hair" Shibi glares again "Oh that I decided to dye the tips silver" she grins sheepishly.

"I suppose there is nothing wrong with a little bit of change every now and then but don't make it a habit" Shibi ruffles her hair again before calling a maid in to his office "Here Sakura this scroll is now yours" he hands the summoning scroll over to Sakura who stares at it in awe this being the first time she had seen it since she was five "I expect you to take good care of that Sakura but for now learning the summoning jutsu will come at a later time for now you should rest the final rounds are quickly approaching" Shibi smiles.

"Thank you Father I will treasure this scroll until it's time for me to pass it on to my own children" Sakura holds the scroll close "I'd expect no less of you my child" Shibi pats her head again before ushering her out of his office so that he could finish up his work uninterrupted while Sakura headed to her room to drop off her pack and head out so that she could practice summoning Rora in hopes to convince some Aburame elders who still didn't think she was good enough to be a part of the main Aburame family.

After practicing for several hours Sakura looks up dripping with sweat and pulls out her scroll she had gotten from Jashin promising that after the chunin exams she would make the full switch and wear the clothes she had gotten from him permanently because she knew it would please him before heading deep into the forest where her hideout was and creates the symbol on the ground in her blood and beginning her now nightly ritual bleeding as much as possible and passing out from pleasure before healing herself and putting on her other clothes and then heads back home.

And thats how Sakura spends the last week and a half doing her rituals and practicing on summoning Rora until finally the day comes Sakura wakes up early the morning of the final round and dresses holstering her weapons and wearing her pendant grabs a small breakfast and heads out the door with Shino who was also part of the final rounds grabbing Naruto and not finding Sakura anywhere the group as a whole heading straight for the domed arena lining up next to one another unaware that not everyone would get to fight that day Orochimaru planned to attack.

When all the contestants arrived the two from the first fight were told to stay on the ground which was against Naruto and Neji while the rest of them were told to go and wait up in the stand for the fight to begin when the final round contestands were safely out of the way Naruto and Neji glaring at each other the proctor for the final round Genma Shiranui raises his hand before swinging it down between the two boys "Begin" he shouts jumping out of the way and with that the final rounds of the chunin exams began.


	21. The Final Round and Trouble Part 1

Nobody but the people who had left the village to find Lady Tsunade who was at the hospital knew exactly how much stronger Naruto had gotten because whenever the two trainees had a few hour break Naruto bugged Sakura to teach him better chakra control and as such he had learned how to move his chakra points around in order to not be hit seeing as his opponent was a Hyuga the ability would come as a surprise and in the case he was hit he could heal himself now because he had practiced the Medical Ninjutsu, Sakura taught him.

As such when the fight began he jumped back instead of charging forward like everyone had expected him to do and watched Neji who looked at him confusion in his lavender irises "What's the matter Uzumaki to afraid to fight me" Neji smirked hoping to bait Naruto into attacking him recklessly but Naruto just stands there analyzing Neji which made the slightly older boy uncomfortable because he had been expected a quick and easy fight "I'm still going to avenge Hinata-chan and make you pay for hurting her" Naruto finally shouts but remains standing in his spot being unusually careful.

"Come on Uzumaki what happened to charging in stupidly" Neji tries again growing frustrated when Naruto still stands unmoving "Fine I'll come to you" Neji snaps charging forward falling into the main stance for the Hyuga clan activating his byakugan 'If he thinks I'm going to let him beat me without a fight he's wrong' Naruto snickers in his thoughts as Neji charges towards him palms facing him "Eight trigrams 64 palms" Neji shouts striking Naruto's shoulder realizing too late that his attack was exactly what Naruto had been waiting for and now Neji was about to get a shock.

Neji's hit strikes but his lavender eyes widen as Naruto's chakra point shifts over a fraction of an inch and a second later Neji finds himself flat on his back jumping to his feet Neji stares at Naruto warily 'What was that surely this idiot didn't just move his chakra point' he sweeps his long brown hair over his shoulder in confusion before jumping forward again his eyebrow furrowed 'Eight trigrams air palm" Neji barrels onward shooting a palm of air at Naruto who spins to the left to dodge it before standing still once more to Neji's growing frustration.

"I thought you were going to get revenge for Lady Hinata" Neji calls out also standing still "I am but I'll do it my own way you bastard" Naruto points an accusing finger at Neji "Why are you fighting so hard for Lady Hinata why do you care so much" Neji asks eyeing the Hyuga Heiress who sat next to Naruto's female teammate "Because unlike you I do care and that's all that matters" Naruto scowls deeply at Neji before finally making his first move and disappears in a move reminiscent of Sakura's when she fought Ino hiding extremely well.

While Naruto was hiding Neji was trying to find him with his byakugan unfortunately for Neji, Sakura had warned Naruto about the byakugan's blind-spot and that's where Naruto was hiding a slight move a second later found Neji face first in the ground Naruto grinning over him "What's that bastard thought you told me I was destined to lose to you" Naruto smiles widely the nine-tails chakra leaking out of him in his anger before jumping back from Neji and waits for the brown haired boy to stand who snarls at him in anger "Your so annoying" Neji says angrily.

Now Neji was getting serious and this caused Naruto grin again before settling into a fighting stance "That's more like it Hyuga-san" Naruto giggles girlishly for just a moment before his face turns stoic again not letting any emotions through "Why you irritating little loser" Neji snaps having had enough of the insults Naruto seemed to be fond of that day and jumps forward "Eight trigrams 64 palm" and catches Naruto off guard or so he thought and begins closing every single chakra point the blonde had in hopes to end the battle before the battle dragged on any longer.

Closing the last point Neji stands back and eyes the blonde sitting on the ground seeming to be unconscious before turning to the proctor waiting for him to call it when from above in the stands "CHA GET YOUR FUCKING LAZY ASS UP NARUTO AND KICK HIS HYUGA ASS" Sakura screams and Naruto twitches and pouts before sitting up and before Neji's very eyes begins healing himself opening his chakra points back up and stands as the green glow of the medical chakra fades and Neji afraid almost gives up right at that moment feeling Naruto's near limitless chakra reserves.

"Ouch that hurt bastard" Naruto glares at Neji now it was official playtime was over and it was time for him to get serious and suddenly he was in front of Neji "See I've been training really hard and lets just say it wasn't easy so I'm gonna make my sensei's and teammates proud as Sakura-chan put it by kicking your Hyuga ass so that you never hurt Hinata-chan again" Naruto grins teasingly before punching Neji in the chin and sending him flying across the field Neji's eyes wide in absolute shock as he was hit again by the blonde.

Suddenly both boys were throwing punches at each other neither one giving as they stay in each others space it was clear Neji was getting frustrated because with every punch he gave Naruto the blonde would heal himself quickly and fling an insult while punching back twice as hard until finally Naruto had, had enough and with a quick punch to Neji's temple the Hyuga was down for the count and proctor announced him as the winner this causes Naruto to let out a loud cheer pumping his fist in the air at the announcement of victory before grinning sheepishly.

The cause was Sakura who had yelled at him to stop goofing off and get his fucking ass up in the stands so the next fight could begin and Naruto being well Naruto kicked his butt into high gear and flew up the steps to where Sakura and Hinata sat pure terror in his eyes because he knew that if he didn't Sakura would definitely follow through on her threat that had yet to be said "It's about time you got here Naruto" Sakura huffs when Naruto finally sits down next to her "Hehe sorry Sakura-chan" Naruto says grinning widely.

Sakura was about to say more when Kakashi appeared in front of her "Sakura the Hokage wants to speak with you" he gives her a small wave before grabbing her arm and before she could let out a squeak of acknowledgment they were gone standing in front of the Hokage a moment later "Senpai that wasn't funny the least you could do is be a little gentler I am a girl you know" Sakura stamps her foot while glaring at him "Sakura this is a matter of most importance" Hiruzen eyes the pink-haired genin warily for just a few moments.

Deciding that she was as serious as she could get Hiruzen starts "Drop out of your fight" he says simply "Lord Hokage I have trained so hard these last couple of months there is no way I'm going to drop out of the fight now besides I really want to become a chunin" Sakura responds in a hurt filled voice "Sakura I know how much you have trained but if you don't you will die and don't worry I've already recommended you to become chunin" Hiruzen soothes the upset girl who stares at him her mouth dropped open in shock.

"You mean I'll get to be a chunin, what about Naruto and Sasuke will they get to as well" Sakura squeals excitedly causing the two men to chuckle at her enthusiasm "Yes to all your questions now Kakashi where is Sasuke currently at" clearly Sakura had been dismissed and not wanting to ruin Sasuke's entrance into the fight she appears back down next to Naruto while smiling pleasantly at Hinata she could barely hold in her excitement her eyes were bright and shining full of so many emotions that it confused Gaara who had never seen her like this before.

"What has you so excited and happy Sakura-chan" Naruto asks wanting to know what had her so happy "Ohh you'll find out Naruto hehehe" she giggles out while Naruto just stared at her like she was crazy "Ok Sakura-chan I think I'm just gonna go talk to um ah Kankurou that's right Kankurou" he mutters out before standing up and sprinting over to stand next to said boy who was eyeing Naruto warily before Sakura could say anything Shikamaru had taken Naruto's empty seat "Hello Sakura" he greets before boldly grasping her hand in his and twining their fingers together.

Sakura was in shock never before had Shikamaru done this sure they had laid down in the grass and watched clouds together but they had never held hands "Shika-kun" she squeaks out her face a bright cherry red "Yes, Saku-chan" he grins teasingly shortening her name like she had done with his 'Sakura get a hold of yourself Shika-kun couldn't possible like us like that' Inner moans pitifully meanwhile Sakura's heart was beating wildly in her chest "Shikamaru what are you doing" she finally mutters her eyes full of confusion at her crushes actions "What do you think" Shikamaru whispers.

He liked the way Sakura said his full name "Is there a possibility that you could, no that's impossible" she murmurs under her breath causing him to lean forward in order to hear what she said "Is there a possibility that I could what Sakura, were you going to say is there a possibility that I like you" he scoots a little closer whispering his words in Sakura's ear pressing his cheek against hers he felt the heat radiating off of it from her blush her breathing hitched just slightly and really quick like he pecked her on the cheek.

All of a sudden he felt a murderous aura and looking up he saw Shino, Sakura's brother standing over him the kikaichu beetles hissing up a storm as their hosts emotions leak out in waves "Surely Nara-san you didn't just flirt with my sister nor did I see you just kiss her on the cheek right" Shino asks deadly serious causing Shikamaru to gulp and flee away from the bug master once he was gone Sakura turned on him "Was that necessary Shino" Sakura huffs out getting her heart under control now that Shikamaru was no longer next to her.

"Sakura he was harassing you" Shino defends his actions by putting all the blame on Shikamaru "No he wasn't Shino he was, he was ummm well I don't know what he was doing but he certainly wasn't harassing me like you think he was" Sakura was angry Shino knew how she felt about Shikamaru he was one of the few that did so now she was standing and glaring at her brother while defending Shikamaru's actions her face was red for an entirely different reason now as her eyes spat fire at him hands on her hips and scowling deeply.

Recognizing his sisters angry tone of voice Shino quickly back-pedals that particular look she was currently sporting on her face usually meant death for the one who had pissed her off apparently Naruto had the same thought because he came flying back over to quickly grab Hinata and get her out of Sakura's warpath pulling her back over to the other side of the stands and cowering behind Kankurou again "Now Sakura I didn't mean any harm I'm your brother and I'm entitled to scare off guys" he tries to placate her but apparently Sakura didn't want to be placated.

Before Sakura could do any permanent damage to her brother the proctor finally decided to call out the names of the next to contestants Shino and Kankurou but before Shino could head down the steps and out onto the field Kankurou wimps out "I forfeit" he calls out grinning sheepishly when Temari glares at him so the proctor tries again after announcing Shino as the winner "Sakura Aburame and Dosu Kinuta" to which Sakura snaps out "I forfeit" and Dosu curses "Temari vs Shikamaru Nara" Genma calls out irritated and this causes Sakura to stop glaring at Shino in worry.

Suddenly in the spotlight Shikamaru nearly forfeited his own match but Naruto just had to push him off the railing while shouting like a maniac Temari following him down in much the same manner only while Shikamaru had landed on his backside Temari landed on her feet gracefully "DON'T YOU DARE CHICKEN OUT SHIKAMARU" his own blonde teammate shrieks from the stands "What a drag" he mutters dragging himself to his feet and walking to the center of the field so that his match against Temari could begin 'Tch I'd much rather be cloud watching and napping' Shikamaru thought lazily.

The procter calls out for them to begin and immediately Temari jumps back in a defensive position watching Shikamaru closely "CHA YOU GO SHIKAMARU AND TEMARI DON'T GO EASY ON THAT LAZY ASS" Sakura screams from the stands cheering both of them on all in one breath this causes the two battling teens to laugh and start chatting "Just like Sakura to figure out a way to cheer two people on at the same time" Temari grins at Shikamaru "Yeah I'd much rather be cloud watching right now" he yawns out his jaw cracking loudly voicing his thoughts from earlier.

"Is that why Sakura calls you a lazy ass" Temari grins looking around her in case the boy tried a sneak attack while they talked at her words Shikamaru rolls his eyes but otherwise doesn't move an inch "Did you know that Sakura-chan likes you" Temari baits him teasingly and there it was his cheeks go red in embarrassment and Temari knew she had him with that she pulls out her fan "Ninja Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu" she calls out waving the giant weapon which causes Shikamaru to hide behind a tree to avoid Temari's jutsu thinking up a strategy.

Suddenly a shadow comes from the direction Shikamaru was hiding in making Temari hop back to get out of his range and draw a line on the ground "Ha this is as far as you can go your jutsu can't get past this line" she calls out when her jutsu finally dies down and the dust settles allowing her to see Shikamaru again before swinging her fan again casting the same jutsu which causes Shikamaru to hide again when that one finishes he puts his fingertips together a few minutes later his eyes open smirking widely at her.

"What's the stupid grin on your lips for as long as I stay behind this line you can't get me" Temari yells over to him only to jump back in shock as the shadow extends past her line and keep hopping back before finally stopping "Temari over your head" Kankurou calls out and Temari looks up before staring at the ground in shock as the shadow extends again Shikamaru had thrown his jacket in the air during her last jutsu and used it to extend his shadow leaping backwards more Temari finally stops slamming her fan on the ground to hide behind.

"Your all out of moves" she calls out running through her own strategy before going through a set of handsigns though before she could finish her entire body froze "Your caught" Shikamaru calls out "But how" Temari asks and her head looks back seeing a hole behind her suddenly she was being walked forward by Shikamaru's shadow possesion jutsu and Temari stood there waiting for him to finish her off when the jutsu fades "This is a drag I give up" he plops down on the ground in exhaustion his chakra had run out right before the proctor could speak.

Rolling his eyes Genma names Temari the winner of the match before levelling the two teens with a glare "The final match is between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of the Desert" he calls out Temari and Shikamaru scrambling for the steps that led up into the stands bickering back and forth "Why would you quit you had the win" Temari growls at the idiotic boy that her pink-haired friend seemed to like "Because if I hurt you Sakura would hate me" Shikamaru shrugs not really seeing the big deal in giving up this way he gets to keep his friendship.

At his words Temari pulls Shikamaru to a stop by his jacket that he had put back on "You really like her don't you" she asks staring at him kindly "Yes, more than I probably realize at the moment" Shikamaru admits "Well I don't think you have to worry to much what I said out there on the field about Sakura liking you was the truth" Temari grins at him teasingly chuckling when Shikamaru's cheeks flush a soft pink "Troublesome women" he groans out before heading up the stairs quickly Temari trailing behind taking the stairs two at a time.

Reaching the top they are greeted by Sakura who hugs Temari and holds out her hand to Shikamaru "You guys fought good especially you, you lazy ass" Sakura grins turning and dragging the boy behind her as the crowds go wild apparently Sasuke had just shown up in a swirl of leaves alongside Kakashi wearing a different outfit that was much different than his usual clothes he stood in the center of the arena tall and confident his usual arrogance radiating off of him in waves Gaara having seen his opponent heads down into the ring to begin the match.

Sakura was worried as she sat down next to Shikamaru clenching his hand tightly 'On one hand I should cheer for Sasuke but on the other I want to cheer for Gaara to but I really don't want them to fight in the first place' Sakura's thoughts were frantic when Shikamaru nudges her in the side "Hey aren't you gonna cheer them on like you did us" he asks forehead creased in concern "Yeah you GO SASUKE DON'T YOU DARE FORFEIT AND YOU CAN DO IT GAARA" she finally cheers before falling silent as her worried thoughts consume her again.

Down below Sasuke had dropped into a defensive crouch to avoid the sand shurikens Gaara had flung lazily at him he truly didn't want to hurt Sakura's teammate but he didn't want to let him win either while lost in his thoughts he felt the sand shift and protect him from the kunai Sasuke had thrown at him in retaliation "What's the matter Gaara of the Desert I've seen you fight and I know you can do more damage than that fight me seriously or are you just a coward" Sasuke flings the insult at him hoping to bait Gaara.

Gaara truly did try to ignore the stinging words as his heart throbbed painfully in his chest "I'm not a coward" Gaara whispers "I won't hurt Sakura and it's obvious on some level she cares for you so I'll this fight quickly" he says again before shifting his sand into the form of a hand and reaching for Sasuke who jumps back to avoid the sand tossing more kunai in Gaara's direction but the leftover sand blocks it and Sasuke curses silently running up a wall after throwing exploding tags at the sand after him before going through some handsigns.

Finished a loud crackling fills the arena as Sasuke's hand becomes encased in blue electricity it was obvious who had been training the Uchiha boy as the jutsu was Kakashi Hatake's favored jutsu and often used it to kill his enemies quickly and painfully speeding down the wall jutsu in hand Sasuke flies at Gaara with alarming speed ramming chidori deep into the sand barrier a moment later a scream comes from within the sand and all knew that Gaara had been hit suddenly it was chaos in the stadium as sound ninja appeared and began attacking the Leaf Village.

She had to get down to Gaara was the only thought running through Sakura's mind as she weaving through Leaf and Sound Shinobi fighting ducking and dodging here and there as a stray kunai was thrown her way finally she had reached the steps and began running down them heart pounding it hadn't occurred to her that she could just jump over the railing of the stands and get down in the arena quicker all she knew was that Gaara was hurt and she had to heal him before something truly terrible happened to Sasuke who stood gaping in surprise.

"Sasuke get the fuck out of the way" Sakura screeches at him when she skids to a halt and falls to her knees in front of the two boys one trapped in sand and the other now gaping at her "Didn't you hear me GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HERE" she screams before turning to the sand that currently protected her friend said sand that was now shifting dangerously around them "Gaara calm down" Sakura cries and the sand pauses before falling to the ground unmoving as Gaara reveals himself "Sa..Sakura" he asks in confusion clutching his bleeding shoulder tightly.

"That's right Gaara it's me Sakura" she scoots forward on her knees cautiously until she was touching him slowly Sakura lifts her hand and grasps Gaara's in her own before carefully pulling it away from his wound "Gaara I'm going to heal that alright" she smiles reassuringly at him before filling her hands with healing chakra and gently healing the wound that Sasuke had given him once down she gives him a side hug before pulling the both of them to their feet when stood Sakura realizes that Sasuke hadn't listened to her he was still in the same spot.

Rolling her eyes she ushers the two out of the way of a fighting pair heading through a hole someone had made in the arena wall along the way the three are joined by Naruto and their other friends along with Temari and Kankurou and then it happened while they had been jumping through the tree's Sakura and Sasuke were separated from the others she didn't know how it happened it just had as Sakura stands on her feet Sasuke doing the same only to stop in surprise because just a few feet away was Dosu Kinuta the Sound Shinobi.

"Sakura Aburame you've pissed off my Master and he has ordered your death" Dosu growls out in a menacing voice instead of standing around and arguing pointlessly Sakura dropped into her fighting stance waiting for the sound nin to make the first move while Sasuke did the same on her left "I'm sorry this isn't your fight Sasuke Uchiha all I want is the girl" Dosu calls out calmly causing Sasuke to snarl and jump forward in anger "I don't care I'm a lot stronger than Sakura so I'll be your opponent you mummy freak" Sasuke snaps out absolutely furious.

While the two boys were fighting Sakura was biting her lip harshly causing blood to dribble down her chin in rivulets while the two pounded on each other Sasuke getting his aggression out and Dosu trying to knock Sasuke unconscious so that he could get to her Dosu succeeds in finally pushing Sasuke back but not knocking him unconscious when a sword comes out of nowhere aiming straight at Sakura and she clenches her eyes shut tightly hearing the sound of flesh being sliced open and she opens her eyes only to stare in horror at what was before her.

"Sasuke" she whispers swallowing thickly as the boy drops to the ground dropping to her knees Sakura reaches out to touch the boys cheek as she takes the sword out of his abdomen calling healing chakra to her hands as she tries valiantly to heal him only stopping when Sasuke puts a hand over hers and smiles up at her wiping away the tears that were coursing down her cheeks "It's alright Sakura" he coughs out blood flowing down his chin "No, Sasuke" Sakura cries out trying to heal him again but her hands were to shaky to form handsigns.

"Sakura I'm sorry I always antagonized you and the dope" he laughs weakly as more blood pours from his mouth "Take my eyes and give them to my brother please I beg you consider this my payment for being a rotten teammate" Sasuke gives one last weazy breath before stilling completely 'Sasuke's dead' Inner chokes out while her outer counterpart sat on the ground the last few minutes playing through her head in a horrifying movie "Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke" Sakura began chanting nudging him in hopes he would wake up and call her an annoyance he had to be faking.

Tears were pouring from her eyes and she barely realized it was raining as she hovered over a body that was laying in a pool of his own blood Sasuke's last words engraved in her heart "Take my eyes and give them to my brother I'm sorry for being a poor teammate" he had gasped out when she had removed the sword from his abdomen failing in healing the gaping wound left behind all of this proved to much "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" she screams the word echoing through the tree's as the rain poured down even harder as if agreeing with Sakura's emotions.

Dosu had watched all this unsympathetic and was preparing to finish the girl off he had raised a kunai and had it aimed at her head when a wave of malevolent chakra poured of Sakura pushing him away to slam into a tree while Gaara the little traitor appeared behind her and watched this happen "ALL OF YOU WILL PAY" Sakura screams maniacally her eyes emerald eyes darkened and bloodshot from crying over Sasuke's death feeling the power of Jashin wash over her granting her temporary immortality Dosu barely blinked and suddenly Sakura was wearing a different outfit now.

It was darker and more horrifying than he could imagine as the girl grasped a short blade on her back and took it out of its black sheath "Your the first one who's going to die by my hand and my hand alone" Sakura seethes pure fury radiating off of her as she looks at Gaara warningly who steps back in surprise at the rage in his friends eyes "Gaara I don't want anyone else to see this will you give me cover" she asks calmly this time not taking her eyes off of Dosu in case he ran away.

Nodding he builds a wall of sand around the two and minutes later he could hear the Sound Nin begging for his life, for once in Gaara's life he didn't thrive off of death in fact right at that moment he wished he had never experienced death because it most certainly changed people 'Like Sakura' Shukaku called out from within 'Yes like Sakura' Gaara's forehead creased in worry and fear as terrifying sounds emitted from the other side of his sand and suddenly he could feel sympathetic towards the one Sakura was unleashing her fury on if only just slightly.

Once the sand wall blocked them Sakura smiled sweetly at Dosu who backed further into the tree he was still against before jumping to his feet "Now Sakura if you killed me you'll be called a murderer" he tries gulping in fear "Your an enemy no one will miss you and as for being called a murderer no one but myself and Gaara will ever know who killed you" Sakura seethes ducking under the kunai Dosu throws at her to keep her from coming towards him he watches in awe as Sakura stabs herself with her sword with a smile.

"You heathen I have personally selected you to be my first sacrifice to my Lord Jashin" Sakura says sweetly tearing a scream of fear from Dosu as Sakura forms her blood into a circle with an upside down triangle after healing the stab wound she had given herself before stalking forward sword raised high and suddenly another scream is ripped from his throat as she cuts him shallowly on the arm before walking back over to her weird symbol licking his blood of her kunai he watches on in absolute horror as Sakura's skin changes colors her eyes darkening further.

Her skin was now a black and she had white markings all over her from the skin he could see Dosu briefly thought she looked like Death itself he pulls himself out of his thoughts as Sakura began praying "Jashin Lord of Slaughter I, Sakura Aburame have chosen my first sacrificial offering" she started off eyes closed in concentration as she raised a forest green kunai to her wrist and harshly slashes it this time Dosu screams in pain as the wound Sakura had inflicted upon herself appears on him in the same exact place Dosu was absolutely screwed now.

He stared at her heart pounding wildly in his chest as she started her prayer again "I thank you for granting me this chance to carry out my mission to you" again she cuts herself roughly spilling more blood as she sat in the circle and she applauds Dosu mentally for only letting out a whimper but Sakura was far from finished she bites her lip roughly making it bleed again as a giggle escapes from between her lips "I shall sacrifice this heathen spilling his blood for you O Mighty Jashin" she calls out loudly raising her kunai again.

Instead of slashing her wrist like Dosu thought she would she unbuttons the coat she was wearing sliding off her gray tank top to sit in her chest bindings and shorts and skirt before carving a symbol into her skin this one meaning pain before doing a handsign activating it and thats when Dosu begins screaming uncontrollably no longer able to keep from begging for his life as she starts cutting and slash every available surface of skin making sure to keep her jutsu going until finally Sakura smiles holding the kunai above her heart hearing Dosu beg in fear.

Dosu knew that if he didn't do something he was most definitely going to die a most painful death he was hurting all over and his lip throbbed painfully as Sakura kept biting down on hers every few moments appearing to hesitate but in fact it was the opposite and he figured that he could make a deal with the pink-haired girl "Sakura if you spare me I'll serve you for the rest of my life" he pleads weakly tensing as the kunai she had poised over her heart moved closer just an inch the tip pressing against her now.

Smirking internally Sakura lowers the kunai suddenly watching as Dosu gives a sigh of relief 'Yeah right like I believe that' Inner chuckled darkly also influencing Sakura's current state of mind "Oh really" she smiles at him causing Dosu to tense again at the pure malice in that one little smile and he knew that he hadn't convinced her as she raises the kunai again slashes her throat before plunging the kunai into her heart going extra slow as Dosu drowned on her own blood allowing him to live his last moments alive painfully before passing out as she is overwhelmed.

Her mind floated blissfully in all the pleasure before she started coming to in a garden "Huh" she whispers the soft word echoes loudly when a voice calls out to her "Well done my young acolyte I am most pleased with your first sacrifice" the man appears before her sitting on a thorny throne he wore dark colors and had bleached white long hair that pooled on the ground and his eyes were the darkest color of red reminiscent of blood and Sakura knew she was standing before Jashin "Lord Jashin" she asks she just had to be sure.

Suddenly before Jashin could nod at her question Sakura's repressed emotions come swirling out in a torrent of broken sobs "Child you knew what you were doing when you decided to sacrifice that boy so why do you cry" Jashin asks curiously "My teammate he killed my teammate and I couldn't save him" Sakura cries even louder now that she had admitted to herself that Sasuke was dead "I don't care about Dosu he deserved everything I did to him" Sakura's sobs die down and she raises her head to look at Jashin who still sat on his thorny throne.

"Sakura since you did your first sacrifice so excellently I shall give you a gift this young one will be your companion" Sakura hears as Jashin's voice fades feeling herself awakening from the ritual when Sakura opens her emerald eyes she see's Gaara standing over her worry clear in his pale green irises "Sakura what happened" he asks as she sits up finding the kunai laying on the ground and not where she had put it "Gaara you can't tell anyone what happened here alright" Sakura pleads while struggling to her feet feeling drained and exhausted all of a sudden.

When Gaara nods in acquiesce she starts forward but pausing as something on the ground catches her attention it was a black ferret with mismatched eyes one was red and had patterns and the other was onyx dropping to the ground again she scoops the kit up running a finger over his damp fur "Sasuke" she whispers out the name 'Thank you Lord Jashin' she smiles softly tears still falling from her eyes the rain was still pouring down but it was obvious the fighting had stopped "Gaara can you carry him" Sakura turns her blood shot eyes on him.

Nodding Gaara starts wrapping the boy in his sand when Sakura calls out to him "Wait, I have to do something" Sakura hands the baby ferret over to him and he holds it close gently while she walks over to Sasuke's lifeless body and he watches in morbid curiosity as she lifts his eyelids and medically removes his eyes he had died with the sharigan activated before putting them in a jar that had a preserving liquid in it before sealing that jar in a scroll and labelling it important object when she's done she nods at Gaara to continue.

After handing the tiny ferret back to Sakura he wraps Sasuke's body in his sand as they walk through the pouring rain back to the arena where the chaos had begun along the way they are joined by a soaked Naruto who explains to Sakura that the others had already returned to the field to help out with the fighting but that he couldn't find Sasuke anywhere "Hey Sakura-chan what's wrong" Naruto asks when Sakura chokes on a sob at Sasuke's name and cuddles the kit closer "Naruto, I'm sorry" she breathes out not elaborating any further on the subject.

Arriving on sight they are found by Anko "Anko-sensei" Sakura walks right up to the woman startling Anko "Hey brat why are you crying" Anko asks nervously knowing that her pink-haired student was about to say something truly terrible "Sasuke, he's um he's well he's dead" Sakura spits out forcefully between her clenched teeth as more tears pour out of her already burning eyes this is said so softly but everyone around her heard the words Sakura spoke and began mourning another shinobi that had died that day "How did it happen brat" Anko asks sadly as Naruto appears silently.

"He was fighting that sound shinobi I was supposed to fight Dosu Kinuta and then a sword came out of no where and I couldn't heal him" Sakura answers solemnly leaning against Naruto for emotional support "Shinobi die all the time" Anko responds watching more tears leak out of Sakura's tightly clenched shut eyes "I know it doesn't make it hurt any less if that person is someone you considered a friend" her emerald eyes snap open "I swear I'll get revenge but first I have to get stronger so this never happens again" Sakura's swears vehemently to her sensei.

"I know you will brat but for now we have a couple of funerals to plan" Anko explains "Two funerals who else died" Sakura's heart almost stopped 'If Shikamaru is hurt I swear' her inner thoughts are cut off by Anko's reply "Lord Hokage died, Orochimaru killed him" she sighs out "Oh no" Sakura cries a little more "Yes now why don't you guys head on over to the hospital and Lady Tsunade who has been named the 5th Hokage will check you guys over for any injuries you may have" Anko ushers them away so that she could work.

It was a weary group of teens that trudged into the hospital 20 minutes later "Sakura what happened" Tsunade jumps to her feet after healing Gaara's elder sister "Sasuke is dead" Naruto answers instead causing Tsunade's honey brown eyes to soften "Hey brat it will be alright, hey what's that you got there" Tsunade fishes for a distraction before noticing the sleeping baby animal in Sakura's arms "Oh its a ferret, I named him Sasuke because he looks like him" Sakura sobs softly while smiling at the same time causing everyone around her to stare in astonishment and in sadness.

"Are you guys hurt" Tsunade inquires a few minutes later when no one else speaks up "No I don't think so at least" Naruto speaks up while Sakura stared at Gaara who wisely keeps his mouth shut leaving Tsunade oblivious to Gaara's inner turmoil "You guys should rest hop in a bed and get some shut eye I'll wake you later if your needed" Tsunade pushes them into a room after Gaara sits down Sasuke's body and removes the sand allowing the nurses to take it away so that it could be prepared for the funeral that would happen soon.

A couple of weeks later everyone in the village dressed in their black clothes and gathered in the cemetery two mourn the loss of their leader and Sasuke Uchiha who had died fighting against the enemy Sakura almost didn't go but decided the least she could do was show up so that Sasuke could rest in peace she had barely been able to perform her rituals "Come on Sakura" Shino calls softly to her "I'm coming Shino" Sakura mutters trudging alongside Shino as they left the Aburame compound so that they could follow the masses of people dressed in black.

When the funeral was over Sakura is approached by Tsunade who had taken up the title of Hokage trailing her was Naruto "Sakura I have to speak with you and Naruto privately meet me in my office in half an hour" Tsunade says quickly before walking briskly away Naruto hot on her heels "You should put on some different clothes" her father says from Shino's left and Sakura hurries back home to change before running quickly back through town and straight up the steps of the Hokage tower with a little bit of extra time to spare before her meeting.

When she was allowed in she found Naruto and Gaara in there with her "Sakura we've recently found out that Sasuke Uchiha's eyes are missing you wouldn't have any idea about what happened would you" Tsunade's eyes pierce right through her and she bites her lip again 'Damn that's becoming a bad habit' Sakura thought before focusing on Tsunade again "Lady Tsunade" she starts carefully performing a sound-proofing jutsu she had picked up from Ibiki "I took them" Sakura admits outright shocking all those with in the room "Why" Tsunade asks curiously wanting to know why Sakura had taken them.

"Lady Tsunade, Sasuke he asked me to give his eyes to his brother call it his last request but I want to complete it for him" Sakura whispers sadly her eyes filling with tears again before she harshly wipes them away "I understand Sakura" Tsunade eyes the broken girl before moving onto her next topic "Also congratulations on becoming chunin Naruto and Sakura" she announces causing Sakura to let out a bitter laugh and mutter to herself "This is some sick joke right Lady Tsunade surely I can't be a chunin" Sakura chokes out tears pouring from her eyes again.

"It's true Sakura and here's your chunin vests" she hands the jackets over to the two newly promoted chunin before kicking the three of them out of her office the next week Baki took his team and left the separation of Gaara from Sakura upset her and she further distanced herself from people closing herself off from all of her friends while she dealt with her sadness and hatred it consuming her until Jashin pulls her into his garden for another chat she had been skipping on her rituals and while he did understand he still wasn't happy with her.

"Young acolyte" he starts a sinister smile directed at his newest follower "Your letting your feelings disrupt your blood-letting nightly rituals" he finishes "I know Lord Jashin" Sakura answers but it wasnt in a smart tone just a sad one "What would Hidan say if he saw you now I wonder" Jashin tries instead "He would call me a fucking bitch and tell me to stop being so fucking pathetic" Sakura laughs realizing how ridiculous she had been lately "I'm deeply sorry Lord Jashin" she bows low completely apologetic and wakes up in her own bed her determination renewed now.

She started with apologizing to all of her friends none more so than to Naruto who immediately forgave her and then she started getting sent on C-ranked missions while the village tried to rebuild itself until one day two weeks later she is called in to Tsunades office again "Sakura we've gotten word that three men have entered the fire country one of them was identified as Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother" Tsunade announced immediately once she had sat down in the chair in front of her desk "I'm giving you permission to go to him alone" Tsunade says seriously.

Recognizing Tsunade's no nonsense tone Sakura nods silently "I understand Lady Tsunade" Sakura stands and heads out of the room to pack "You have 3 months vacation" Tsunade calls out before the door slammed shut Sakura raced home telling the maids that she was going on a mission before grabbing her pre-packed bag and heading to the gates telling Naruto where she was going and signing out with Izumo and Kotetsu before leaping into the tree's and running as fast as possible not wanting to waste any time now that she knew where Itachi was she wanted to meet him.

"Why did you have to come along Hidan" Kisame complains for the millionth time since they had started their journey into the Land of Fire "Because fishface my fucking apprentice lives here and I want to fucking check up on her because Jashin ordered me to" Hidan cusses up a storm while Itachi remained silent he wanted to check up on his younger brother so he had no reason to complain if someone Hidan knew was in the same village another slew of cuss words escape the Jashinists mouth before all three of them stop completely dead in their tracks.

"Fucking Bitch" Hidan laughs happily rushing forward at the sight of the pink-haired girl "Fucking prick" she laughs right back allowing Hidan to ruffle her hair "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you two know each other" Kisame sighs at their greeting "That's right fishface this is my apprentice the fucking bitch" Hidan grins widely resting his arm on Sakura's head while she glares playfully up at him "That's no way to talk to some Hidan-san" she pouts cutely reverting back to the mild-mannered girl he had first met before he had somehow corrupted the once innocent girl.

"Fine Sakura this is Kisame or Fishface as I call him and the other is Itachi the icecube" Hidan introduces his two travelling companions to his young apprentice "And this is Sakura the fucking bitch who helped me find my pendant awhile back and then became my apprentice by the way I'm fucking happy your wearing that now" he turns his attention back onto Sakura eyeing her attire appraisingly "Hello Kisame-san, Itachi-san" she gives a small wave ignoring Hidan for the moment before sighing softly ready to get her task over with now that she was standing before Itachi Uchiha.

Sensing the change in Sakura's emotions he realized what Jashin had been talking about but apparently she was on the mend because she bravely walked forward to stand in front of Itachi "Itachi-san" Sakura held back on the urge to grasp his cloak "Yes" Itachi asks emotionlessly "I have some upsetting news to give you" she breathes out grasping the scroll that held Sasukes eyes "And what is that" Itachi asks slightly more interested now "Sasuke's dead" Sakura says bluntly seeing no other way than to just say the words and get it over with before thrusting the scroll at him.

"Sasuke's last request was that you received his eyes they are sealed in that scroll in a jar" Sakura walked backwards to stand next to Hidan again while Itachi stared at the scroll "Your lying" Itachi hisses angrily preparing to kill the girl when Kisame lay a restraining hand on his shoulder "She's not lying Itachi-san my nose would be able to pick that up" Kisame shakes his head at the suddenly defeated man "How did he die" Itachi asks sharigan fading allow those before him to see his repressed emotions clearly in his onyx eyes "Orochimaru" Sakura says.

"That snake bastard the next time I see him I'll kill him" Itachi snarls "Please Itachi-san let me be there when you do face him I want my revenge as well" Sakura asks softly and Itachi nods "I'll be sure to collect you when your strong enough until then train well" he announces stuffing the scroll in a pocket in the cloak before turning on his heel and starting back they way they had came Kisame and Hidan following now that they didn't have to make the whole trip to the Hidden Leaf Village their business finished now.

"Wait let me come with you" Sakura runs after them and Kisame smirks "Sure pinky if you think you can keep up" he challenges "Hell yeah I never turn down a challenge" Sakura pumps her arm into the air before taking off after the fast-paced trio again when they had continued walking while she had been clearly goofing off "Jashin fucking bitch be careful" Hidan curses when she nearly rams right into him in her haste to keep up "Sorry Hidan-san" she rubs the back of her head sheepishly as her pace keeps even with Hidan's not wavering even once.

Later on that day after they made camp in a forest clearing "Ok pinky what's your trick" Kisame asks seriously as they all sit around a fire she had made eating the dinner Sakura had cooked as well "No trick I'm just that good" Sakura laughs loudly feeling safe enough to do so because there was no danger for miles around "Sure aren't you just a little prodigy" Kisame sulks while finishing his meal "Nope I'm just an ordinary kunoichi" Sakura shrugs "Normal my ass fucking bitch" Hidan takes that moment to stare at her like she was nuts and she was.

"You got me there Hidan-san" she giggles again watching the sun go down and in complete sync with Hidan the two rise with Kisame and Itachi watching curiously as they head over to a tree and hop up into it curious they get a little closer hopping another branch to watch "Take a fucking picture fishface" Hidan snarls while Sakura rolls her eyes "Does it matter Hidan-san if they watch" she sighs out pulling out a forest green kunai "No it fucking doesn't I suppose" Hidan finally cusses out pulling his own kunai out to begin their nightly blood-letting ritual.

"Jashin Lord of Slaughter" they begin stating their names and slashing their wrists at the same time while the other two watch in morbid curiosity several minutes later Hidan and Sakura feel the rush of pleasure and they promptly pass out 'Oh god not another one' Kisame thought having watched this while jumping out of the tree as the two begin waking rousing Itachi trailing behind him silently and Kisame wondered what Itachi thought about the weird ritual the two had performed he was about to ask when first Hidan then Sakura jumps out of the tree heading to sleep.

"Ok that was freaky" Kisame whispers to Itachi who shrugs unconcerned "What those two do are none of our business Kisame" is Kisame's reply who sits and sulks keeping watch for the night the next few days they travel to the Hidden Rain Village finally they reach the small village that was always raining before being led straight through the village and into a tall building going down hallways upon hallways and through doors upon even more doors all of this extremely confusing and disorienting to Sakura until they came to a stop in front of a door labelled Leader.

It was Itachi who knocked on the door which prompted a voice from within the room to call out "Enter" and then she was standing in front of a man with spiky orange hair purple-ringed eyes and lots of piercings while Sakura was staring at Pein in awe Itachi quickly explained the reason why they were back so early "I see that is truly upsetting" Pein clasps his hands before peering down at the small pink-haired girl "And who is she" he nods his head at Sakura which Hidan took as his cue "This is f..Sakura my apprentice" Hidan frowns.

A heated argument soon erupts between the two "Ow hell why did you do that you fucking bitch" Hidan whispers while Sakura grins cheekily up at him "Because fucking prick I don't want your Leader not knowing my real name" Sakura crosses her arms in triumph "Can't beat you there fucking bitch" Hidan nods accepting defeat before turning back to Pein who was staring in two parts amusement and 1/4 amazement that someone had actually made Hidan talk normally without a single curse word "And why are you here Sakura-san" Pein directs his gaze onto said girl waiting for something.

This time Hidan pokes Sakura in the side and she jumps rubbing the spot while glaring at Hidan "I'm on vacation" she mumbles looking at her feet "Hey Leader can she fucking stay or not" Hidan skips right to the point not wanting to beat around the bush any longer than they fucking had to "She can stay" Pein sighs out "Hells yeah" Hidan picks up the small girl and prepares to rush out of the room "On one condition Hidan" Pein's voice stops him before he could get to far and he trails back into the still open door.

"Well what's the condition fuc...oww Leader" Hidan asks glaring at the brat who was making his life difficult at that moment witnessing this Pein smirks openly "You keep her in your sights" he finally answers "That's what I was gonna fucking do anyway fuc...ooww Leader" he finishes before glaring down at Sakura who was staring up at him innocently "Whatever" Hidan sighs heading back through the door after setting Sakura on her feet so that she could follow him "I wonder how long it will take before he snaps and kills her" Kisame asks in curiosity once they were gone.

"I give him a week at best" Pein answers seriously before dismissing the two from his office so that he could get back to work meanwhile Hidan had led Sakura right to his and Kakuzu's room entering the room they found it empty "Ok fucking bitch you can either sleep on the floor or in the bed I fucking promise not to touch you" Hidan salutes causing Sakura to giggle "Thanks for the offer Hidan but I'll take the floor" clearing a space on the floor next to his bed and unseals a low mattress and a blanket and pillows.

This all came from one of her scrolls which she promptly reseals putting her pack down next to her bed and that's when things got slightly more interested the door slams open and a tall man wearing a mask much like Kakashi-senpai and had green eyes enters the room he pauses when he spots Sakura leaning on her knees and promptly throws a kunai at her the sand still around her wrist coming up to prevent her from being hit all of this was watched by Hidan who immediately started laughing "Ahahahahah the look on your fucking face" he says.

While he was laughing he was pointing at Kakuzu who's eyes had narrowed angrily he was about to ask who the girl was when she opened her mouth "Hidan that's no way to talk to your friends" Sakura glares hands on her hips and her emerald eyes gleaming "I'm sorry but it was just so fu...oooooowwwwwww" Sakura had jabbed him again "I'm sorry for laughing at you Kakuzu" Hidan reiterates before pouting sulkily at the girl "I'm sorry Kakuzu-san I'm Sakura" she bows low respectfully "Hn whatever just stay out of my way" Kakuzu shrugs calmly sitting on his bed.

Internally his thoughts were not so calm but he figured if the girl could keep his partner in check he could at least be nice to the brat by not going out of his way to terrorize her for how ever long she stayed with them pulling out of his thoughts Kakuzu brought out his money from his recent bounty and began counting it while Hidan laid on his bed and Sakura rustled around in her pack looking for something specific cause moments later soft curses floated through the room until Sakura dumped her entire bag on her bed angrily.

This was all done so quietly that Kakuzu didn't lose his concentration a soft "Aha" a moment later is heard as she snatches something up from the items littering the bed before repacking everything in her pack before setting it to the side before Sakura had left she had went to Sasuke's apartment and grabbed the item he had gifted to her it was a book on Uchiha clan techniques that she wanted to give to Itachi but couldn't find just then a soft whining emits from her coat pocket as a tiny black head peeks out of the pocket.

"Sasuke" Sakura squeals softly taking the kit out and laying him on his special pillow that she had gotten him with her mission funds surprisingly the little ferret was well behaved and she had him looked at to determine what he was and to Sakura's relief he was just a regular household pet "Hey what's that" Hidan asks curiously eyeing the pet "Oh that's Sasuke" she smiles petting him on his tiny head "Well where did you buy him at" he asks again because he seriously wanted to know where she had gotten the ferret at "I didn't buy him".

The words were whispered softly as Sakura continued petting Sasuke "Well where did you find him then" Hidan huffs out utterly confused "I didn't find him" Sakura answers rolling her eyes knowing what was coming next "Lord Jashin gave him to me as a gift" she shrugs finally letting her hand fall next to the ferret "Lucky bitch Jashin must really fucking like you" Hidan pouts finally at hearing her explanation on the other side of the room Kakuzu had paused in counting his money when Sakura had said Hidan's god's name before continuing on silently minding his own business.

Meanwhile the Leaf Village was in chaos a couple of days after Sakura had left a couple of anbu had found Sasuke's grave dug up his body was still there but the fact that someone had dug it up in the first place was deeply upsetting and now the elders were pointing the blame on Sakura and Tsunade had enough of it slamming her hands down on her desk splitting it in two she shouts angrily "Sakura is innocent you fools now shut up so I can figure out who really committed this crime" she shouts eyes practically spitting fire.

"Well then Princess Tsunade who did it" the female elder asks "I don't know but if all of you don't get out of my office right this instance I'll start putting the blame on you" Tsunade snarls sending everyone scurrying out of her office to avoid her famous temper and violent tendencies 'I can't believe they would actually go that far to blame Sakura' Tsunade sighed angrily in her thoughts after getting to know the pinkette she had honestly come to like her even if she was a brat 90 percent of the time Tsunade thought with a small smile.

She is broken out of her thoughts when her door swings open and Shibi Aburame stalks in "Please don't tell me you believe in the lies those elders are spouting" the man nearly shouts kikaichu hissing angrily in his gourd as he stood in front of the Hokage "I do not Shibi" Tsunade explains simply with those words the kikaichu fall silent as their host calms "She is very precious to me" Shibi admits lowering himself into the chair behind him "I think she's precious to a lot of people" Tsunade grins at the man who gives a soft laugh.

"I believe your right in that regard" Shibi answers a moment later before standing "Lady Hokage promise me that you'll make those stupid elders see that my daughter is innocent" he asks his voice filled with pain and Tsunade nods "Of course Shibi I'll do everything that I can" Tsunade calls softly to his retreating back before burying herself in her paperwork working through the rest of the day until those damn elders came knocking on her door again demanding answers to which she promptly kicks them out so that she could continue looking for any answers she had missed.

The sun had gone down and she was no closer to finding the culprit 'What sick bastard would dig up a young teenagers grave' Tsunade questions herself internally 'A sick bastard that's who' she answers her rhetorical question before slamming her head down on the newly replaced desk 'This is so not helping' Tsunade thought before "SHIZUNE BRING ME SOME SAKE" she orders and the black-haired woman comes running into the room a bottle of sake in her hands Shizune places it on the desk before exiting the room leaving Tsunade to her thoughts and work heading back to work.

While the night slowly ticked on Tsunade got no closer to the answer while slowly sipping on her sake riffling through a stack of papers and seeing nothing of importance she tries to focus on work again when her attention drifts off again as she got drunker and drunker Tsunade didn't know how it happened but suddenly her head was laying on the desk and her eyes were slowly closing no matter how much she tried to stay awake her eyes wouldn't listen and that's how Shizune found her snoring softly head on her desk and papers scattered every where.


	22. Closure and Trouble Part 2

The next day Sakura rose early 'Apparently to early' Inner pouted preparing to throw a tantrum when soft rustling greet's her ears and she watches Kakuzu rise and stand from the bed throwing a quick glance at the still sleeping Hidan she calls out to the tall man "Kakuzu-san are you heading to breakfast" she asks pleasantly "Hn" taking that as yes "May I come with you" she dips her head respectfully "Fine, but stay close" Kakuzu snaps stalking out of the bedroom door Sakura practically gluing herself to his side as he walked down the long halls of the base and to the kitchen to be met with Pein and a blue-haired woman who was whipping up a breakfast for everyone in the base.

"Hey miss may I help with that" Sakura asks sweetly drawing Pein's gaze who sighed in exasperation "I told Hidan to keep an eye on you" and slides his chair back to stand and give Hidan a lecture "Leader I'm watching her" Kakuzu speaks up from his seat next to Sakura Pein sits back down while Konan watched all of this 'Aww she's absolutely adorable' Konan squeals internally "Hi sweety what's your name" Konan walks over to Sakura letting the bacon cook a bit longer so that it would be nice and crispy "Sakura Aburame" the little pink-haired girl states "My name is Konan" she introduces herself to the cutest girl she had ever met.

"As for your question I think I've got it covered this time" Konan finally answers Sakura's question patting Sakura on her head gently before walking back over to finish breakfast before plating up all the food and setting it on the table Sakura waited patiently letting the others get there food first before grabbing a plate and choosing her selection of breakfast as other members start trickling into the kitchen at the smell of food sitting back down in her seat Sakura ate quietly not wanting to draw to much attention to herself and cause trouble for Leader who suddenly looked angry.

Sakura scoots over on her chair just a tiny bit feeling wary of the orange-haired man when someone calls out to Kakuzu "Hey stitchboy who's the pink-haired thing attached to your side yeah" a blue eyed blonde asks 'And we had been doing so well' Inner pouts sulkily "This is Sakura, Deidara you idiot" Konan hisses angrily defending Sakura "Why is she here yeah" Deidara shifts away from the angry woman "Apparently she is Hidan's apprentice" Kisame speaks up entering the room followed by Itachi who nods in agreement "No way that can't be true yea" Deidara declares suddenly.

"But it is true and you better fucking believe it" Hidan comes flying into the kitchen he had woken up to an empty room Kakuzu and Sakura missing "Fucking bitch why didn't you wait for me" Hidan pulls out the only seat left which was next to Sakura effectively sandwhiching Sakura inbetween the two men on either side of her "Because Hidan I know how to behave unlike you" Sakura grins cheekily causing everyone to inch away from Hidan all except for Kakuzu and Pein "You got me bitch" Hidan chuckles ruffling her pink hair again.

With that breakfast is finished in peace as Sakura is introduced to the last two members Sasori and Zetsu helping Konan wash the dishes before allowing Hidan to pull her out of the kitchen and into an inside training ground not for training though just to relax until someone decided to bother them "Hey Hidan let see how many people we can freak out" Sakura suddenly spoke up feeling utterly bored in that moment "Doing fucking what exactly" Hidan asks curiously "Don't cuss when someone talks to you for the rest of the day" Sakura challenges bravely knowing exactly how creepy it was when Hidan didn't cuss.

"Fine Sakura" Hidan nods in acceptance taking the challenge on because honestly it would be some fun right as that thought went through his head he saw Kisame headed their way Samehada slung over his shoulder "Hey Kisame you going for some training" he calls out smirking internally when the blue man nearly stumbles in shock "Yes I am" he calls back regaining his footing and continuing on his way only to be stopped again "Mind if I join you" Hidan asks nicely and Kisame almost ran away screaming at that moment.

Hidan snickers internally this time as Kisame freezes on the spot Sakura was holding her hand to her mouth and biting down on it harshly to keep herself from laughing loudly "Sure" Kisame calls back after a few minutes before continuing onward Hidan and herself trailing him as he went further into until reaching a huge lake and Sakura stares in awe before shaking herself out of her thoughts to watch the entertainment being played out before her after the training session in which neither male won Kisame grabbed his sword and escaped before Hidan could say anything else.

"That was awesome he was practically pissing himself in fear" Sakura finally laughs causing Hidan to nod in agreement "Let's go find out next victim" Sakura announces eyes shining in amusement the next person they came across was Kakuzu and she reached out to stop Hidan but it was already to late and she cringes waiting for the man to retaliate but he stands there just staring before walking passed them pressing his hand on top of her head briefly before continuing on causing Sakura to blink and shake her head.

Her amusement dying down quickly after that she allowed Hidan to have his fun putting on a smile every time he looked at her before allowing dark thoughts to consume her until she realized that somehow she had lost Hidan in the halls of the base and now she was lost turning down several more halls Sakura was even more confused so sighing she slid down a wall waiting until someone came looking for her and soon she had dozed into a light sleep and that's how Pein found her.

Hidan had come pounding on his door never mind the fact that Hidan hadn't used a single cuss word apparently he had lost Sakura somewhere in the base and now he couldn't find her and so when Konan turned pleading amber eyes on him Pein offered to go find the girl himself promising to punish the man once she had been found a few hallways later and he really couldn't stop his lips from twitching upward in a small smile before picking up the surprisingly light girl.

Carrying the sleeping girl back to his office he deposits her on the couch allowing her to sleep until he could be bothered to either wake her and send her back or send for Hidan Pein supposed that it would be a good punishiment for the silver-haired man let him worry over the girl for a few hours to remind him that Sakura couldn't be left to her own devices especially when she didn't know her way around the large underground base.

Sakura awoke from her nap awhile later to the scratching of pen on paper and she slowly cracked open an eye to stare around the room she was in deducing that it could only be Leader's office Sakura sat up stretching Pein seeing that she was awake now paused in signing his name on the document "You should go Hidan's probably about to begin tearing the base apart looking for you" he lets out a small chuckle before continuing on in his work while Sakura rushed from the room slamming into the exact person she was looking for.

"Fucking bitch do you have any idea how worried I've been" Hidan snarls picking Sakura up and squeezing her tightly showing his rare affection "I'm sorry" Sakura wheezes out in apology before Hidan sets her on her feet allowing her to breathe again "Don't fucking get lost again do you hear me" he scolds turning on his heel and heading back to his room Sakura following him quickly it appeared their little game of freak people out was over as Hidan was back to cussing up a storm.

"I hear you Hidan" Sakura sighs sitting on her bed when a hiss emits from Sasuke and she turns her head to look at him "What is it Sasuke" Sakura asks picking up the tiny kit who falls silent at her proximity holding Sasuke close Sakura lays back on her bed sighing again when Hidan speaks up "Hey bitch I just thought of something" he grins widely "Yeah what is it Hidan" she asks curiously "I'm gonna take you to Jashin's temple" he chuckles out and Sakura sits up her interest peaked.

"Sounds awesome" she squeals quietly not wanting to disturb Kakuzu who sat silently on his bed "Stay here I'll go fucking ask if I can take ya" and with that he hops up from his bed and re-exits the room causing her to flop back with a soft groan when her mattress shifts she sits up again "Kakuzu-san" Sakura asks in confusion as he separates a pile of money from his wad of cash and sets it in front of her "In case you want to get any souvenirs in town before you leave" the man shrugs his kind gesture done for the day.

Sakura knew better than to complain though and quickly stuffs the money in her wallet meanwhile in Pein's office "Come on Leader let us fucking go" Hidan curses restraining himself from saying anything else "Alright fine but all of us will be going I have business in that area and we need to change bases anyway" Pein finally sighs out causing Hidan to yell and race out of his office in his hurry to pack up his few valuable items 'Why can't I have normal shinobi' Pein thought eye twitching in mild annoyance.

"Come on bitch, Kakuzu pack up your stuff we are moving bases and visiting Jashin's temple all in one go" Hidan charges back into the room violet eyes wild and soon the entire Akatsuki was on the move Sakura and Hidan had left a little earlier so that Sakura could get some souvenirs from a couple of shops like Kakuzu had suggested after awhile the rest of the Akatsuki caught up with them and a day later after not stopping to rest and Hidan having to carry Sakura as she slept they ran into trouble.

Wherever Sakura went trouble always followed her Hidan thought briefly as the man stops their group by standing cockily in front of them before his eyes narrowed on Hidan who carried Sakura "Hand the girl over you kidnappers and I'll let you go slightly unharmed" the man calls out flashing a slashed out headband in their direction "Why would we do that when the girl is perfectly capable of leaving anytime she wishes" Pein speaks up from the back where he had been speaking with Konan.

"Why is she knocked out then" the man smirks thinking he had them "She's not knocked out you dumb fucker now shut the hell up and let her sleep" the silver-haired man that was carrying the pinkette hissed quietly but alas his words weren't quiet enough and sure enough the girl slowly came awake with a yawn "What's going on Hidan" Sakura asks "This fucker thinks we kidnapped you" Hidan's eyes snap down to her before setting Sakura on her feet so that she could see the ninja that had idiotically approached the Akatsuki.

"Little girl I suggest you step away from them they are rogue ninja's" the man beckons Sakura forward with his hand sighing in frustration when she doesn't move from her spot next to Hidan "So are you or did you just forget that little fact" Sakura frowns at him she had been sleeping so well and now she had to walk again "Fine I'll admit that I also am a rogue but at least I don't go around murdering innocents like them" the man calls out smugly thinking that again he had them caught.

"I wouldn't call the people they kill innocent in fact what these guys are doing are a whole heap of more help than what other rogues do" Sakura crosses her arms angrily over her chest glaring now at the man who dared insult the Akatsuki blinking the guy stares at her stupidly "They've clearly brainwashed you no matter little girl I'll save you from them" the man announces with a smile that was supposed to be reassuring but only further pissed Sakura off "May I Pein-san" she turns emerald eyes on the leader.

"As long as you finish it quickly" Pein sighs and the group as a whole take a step back giving Sakura room for her fight "Cha" she pumps her fist in the air charging forward smirking and before the guy realized what happened he was sitting on the ground groaning in pain "That's what you get for messing with me" Sakura smirks the chakra scalpel she had used fading from her hand as she walks with the Akatsuki again as they start forward seeing that the fight was over and they would get no more trouble from that person.

"I'm so fucking proud of you bitch" Hidan hugs her to his side before releasing her and Sakura smiles up at him happily "Thanks Hidan" she bobs her head up and down a few times before looking forward so that she didn't run into anyone and soon enough they had reached the new base but instead of Hidan dragging her off to room with him and Kakuzu again Konan took her by the arm and showed her to her own room that had a bed in it "I figured you'd be more comfortable with a bed of your own" the blue-haired woman smiles sweetly at her.

"Thanks Konan-san but I really didn't mind the arrangement from before" Sakura admits sheepishly "Tell me sweetie do you like Hidan" Konan finally asks sitting on the bed this causes Sakura to choke on air and cough deeply "No absolutely not Hidan is like an older brother a very annoying older brother at that to me and I have someone I like" her face burns red at the end of her sentence and Konan peers at her curiosity in her amber eyes "And does this boy that you like, like you back" she asks.

Sakura nods because that's all she really could do before getting up on the bed and laying back with a content sigh before she had time to really relax the door slams open and Hidan comes in the room "Come on Jashin's temple waits for fucking no one" he nearly yells and Sakura scrambles up off the bed throwing a later over her shoulder at Konan who sighed she had hoped to get a little more information out of the girl and now she had to wait until Sakura got back so that she could talk to her more.

"Wait right there Hidan" Pein's voice calls out from down the hallway and Hidan freezes in his tracks causing Sakura to crash into him and fall on her ass a few moments later she had picked herself up from the ground as the Akatsuki members appear in the hall Pein leading them "Alright Hidan lead the way to this temple" he gestures for Hidan to start walking as Deidara groans from the back of the group "I don't understand why we have to go to yeah" he whines loudly a moment later he is smacked on the back of his head.

"Shut up Deidara" Kisame scolds none of them were happy about being forced into the outing but he wasn't going to moan and bitch about it because sometimesninja had to do things they didn't like all the time it was just the shinobi way of life thoroughly scolded Deidara falls silent and 20 minutes later they arrive at the weirdest temple any of them had seen before it was only familiar to two of the people that being Hidan and Sakura as they recognize Jashin's mark above the temple.

Entering the temple Sakura looked around in awe while the others were a little curious but not to curious "Come here Sakura" Hidan gestures for her to follow him eagerly as he leads her down a little hall to the main sacrificial hall "Ooooh we're in luck guess what you get to experience your first ritual" Hidan smirks down at Sakura only to pause at the look in her eyes "Um Sakura" his forehead creases when she starts laughing drawing everyones attention "Hidan I've already made my first sacrifice to Lord Jashin" Sakura answers seriously now finished with her laughter.

"That's impossible when did you become immortal" Hidan crouches down in front of her "It was when Sasuke died I kinda snapped but it was only temporary immortality I don't have it now" Sakura admits staring blankly lost in her thoughts of sadness again eyeing the obviously broken girl Itachi approaches her "You really cared for Sasuke didn't you Sakura-san" he asks shaking her out of her thoughts "Well not in the way you think I did and at first I outright disliked him but nobody not even Sasuke deserved to die like that" Sakura admits.

Suddenly the temple didn't seem as interesting as before to Hidan as he watches his little protege "What you need is closure obviously you still have things left to tell this boy and I know just the person who can help us" Hidan speaks up seriously for once sounding wise as Sakura looks up at him he knew exactly what he had to do to help Sakura start healing from the death of a friend "Lord Jashin" he says simply watching as Sakura's eyes light up in determination at the thought.

With that Hidan set up the ritual and Sakura learned something new that day "Jashin Lord of Slaughter sweep us away into your garden of death" Hidan prayed at the stone altar before nudging Sakura in the side to do the same while the others watched on in confusion as the two simultaneously convulsed and then slumped on the ground their hearts not beating Kakuzu having seen Hidan do this particular ritual before wasn't worried 'Ok I am for the girl' he admits only to himself.

Inside Jashin's garden "My two favorite followers what can I do for you today" Jashin asks politely he already knew what they were there for Jashin just wanted to hear it said "Sakura here wants so fucking closure with icecubes little brother" Hidan bows at the waist prompting Sakura to do the same before nodding in acquiesce "Yes, Lord Jashin there are so many things left unsaid" she sighs bitterly knowing that she should have already let this go but couldn't find it in herself to do so "If that's the case why don't you come out boy so that my follower can talk to you" Jashin calls out smirking to someone over his shoulder.

Sakura watched in fascination as the shadows bend and stretch before ripping pulling back to reveal "SASUKE-KUN" she shrieks running headlong into the confused boy and sending them crashing to the ground with a loud oomph from Sasuke "Sakura where is this" Sasuke twists his head this way and that trying to get a good look at his surroundings "Nevermind that Sasuke I have so many things I want to tell you" Sakura bounces on his stomach causing Sasuke to wince but chuckle at his pink-haired teammate.

"Alright but do you think we could talk comfortably meaning you aren't sitting on my stomach bouncing and Im not laying down" Sasuke wheazes out "Of course" Sakura nearly shrieks out sliding of Sasuke's stomach smoothly and sitting on the ground indian style just now realizing that they were alone Hidan and Jashin had given them some privacy when Sasuke was sat upright she turned to him eagerly opening her mouth to start her questions when he interrupts "Firstly Sakura did you just call me Sasuke-kun, and secondly where are we at least tell me that much" Sasuke asks curiously "Ooops oh well your an important friend and it doesn't mean what you think and secondly this is Lord Jashin's garden" Sakura gestures all around her briefly.

"Alright who is Jashin and how did he bring me here" Sasuke asks again interest peaked "Ok don't be surprised but Jashin is the God of Slaughter and I follow him it's not what you think Sasuke, I only off bad guys" Sakura grins sheepishly seeing the horrifying look in Sasuke's onyx eyes "And as for how he brought you here I'm really not sure Jashin could probably do anything he wants if he wanted to if you know what I mean" Sakura answers his second question "So you said you have some things to tell me" Sasuke spoke up after a few minutes of processing the information Sakura had given him.

"Yes, I met Itachi" here Sakura brightened "He was saddened by your death Sasuke, Itachi-san still cares" Sakura announces to Sasuke's disbelief though he supposed he could believe her just this once "Also I'm sorry for always being horrible to you Sasuke and always laughing at you and insulting you and never trying to get along" with that said tears begin coursing down Sakura's cheeks and Sasuke's eyes widen in shock as his death flashes through him eyes "I'm really dead then aren't I" he asks defeated "Yes and I swear to avenge you by sacrificing the one responsible" Sakura seethes out repressed fury radiating from her.

"Sakura revenge isn't worth it if you let it consume you I know that now call it insight from my colossal mistakes" Sasuke wipes her tears off her cheeks now that it was clear that she was done crying "Oh don't you worry Sasuke, I'll get my revenge and I'll do it with a clear head too" Sakura rubbed her face "Oh Lord Jashin gave me a little ferret that looks just like you so I named him" Sakura squeals suddenly and in sync "Sasuke" both teens say together causing Sakura to laugh happily the sadness she had been feeling fading as if it had never been there the longer she sat and talked to Sasuke.

"Sakura I feel my time running out here and there's one last thing I have to tell you before I go" Sasuke suddenly announces his body fading slowly "What is it Sasuke" Sakura furrows her eyebrows together in concern "I've been with Shisui my brother will know that name tell Itachi that Danzou is up to his tricks again he dug up my grave you can't let Danzou ruin the Uchiha anymore than he already has Sakura please I entrust the protection of the last remaining Uchiha to you because I know that you can" Sasuke speaks quickly fading faster until he was gone and then the shadows are ripped apart and she could see Hidan and Jashin again her thought's a swirling torrent of hate at what Sasuke had just told her.

"You were right Hidan, I definitely needed that and Thank you Lord Jashin for giving me the chance to get my feelings out" Sakura bows at the waist and both men one unearthly and the other earth bound could tell that Sakura was eager to leave but she was being polite about it Jashin waves them off and suddenly they woke up back in their own bodies Sakura flew to her feet and looked around frantically shocking the others when she runs over to Itachi and practically glues herself to his side "Hi" she squeaks out panting breathlessly.

"Itachi-san, I talked to Sasuke in Jashin's garden and Sasuke had some things of importance to tell me" she whispers and Itachi tilts his head down to look at her before nodding at her unasked question "Let's go back to the base it's clear we are done here" Hidan speaks up noticing the angry glint in Sakura's emerald eyes and wisely keeps himself from cussing the particular glint usually meant he was about to get clobbered but it was apparent that this anger was directed at someone else.

The entire trek back to the base Sakura stayed firmly glued to Itachi's side twisting her head every which way that she could completely alert of her surroundings when they were safely inside the underground base Sakura relaxed following Itachi to his room which was right across from hers "What is it Sakura-san" Itachi asked when they were hidden behind a sound-proofing jutsu and the door was locked "Sasuke told me to tell you that that he's seen Shisui and that Danzou was up to his old tricks again whatever that means" Sakura reeled off quickly causing Itachi's sharigan to blaze to life in anger "He also dug up Sasuke's grave" she finishes a nervous smile on her lips "He what" Itachi hisses out furious at the thought of someone doing something that atrocious.

This was about Sasuke his precious little brother sure he had probably mentally scarred the boy but he still loved him despite that "Sakura-san you should get some rest I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be hectic" Itachi told the pink-haired girl removing the jutsu she had put up and exiting the room stalking down the hall cloak flapping in the wind as he walked Itachi had to talk to Pein something had to be done about Danzou and he wouldn't let the man ruin the Uchiha name any further with his greedy obsession of the Sharigan.

"Leader something has to be done about Danzou from the Leaf Village, I'm not usually one to complain but he has gone to far" Itachi immediately announces when he has permission to enter Pein's office "I assume this has something to do with Sakura-san" Pein sighs suddenly wishing he had sent the girl back home and not allowed her to stay she was proving far more trouble than his organization combined "Yes, apparently she talked to Sasuke in Jashin's garden and he told her some interesting things" the sharigan heir folds himself into a chair completely on edge from this.

Pein lets out a long suffering sigh "Konan gather the members we are going to the Leaf Village" he orders the blue-haired woman "Of course Pein" Konan answers politely before she disappears in a swirl of paper a few minutes later the entire Akatsuki stood before him the only person missing was Sakura, Pein looked to Konan "She's asleep, I think we should settle this matter ourselves and not involve her anymore than we need to besides with the information she's given us we can finally get our revenge" Konan shrugs "We need her to validate our proof" Itachi spoke.

"Ah didn't think about that" Konan giggles sheepishly before heading out the door again 10 minutes later the two females walked through the door one yawning widely Sakura blinks for a few moments before holding still her body tense like a spring set to release at moments notice "Sakura" Pein addresses her mulling over his words "We can't take the time to travel to the Leaf Village is there any transportation methods you would suggest" he finally sighs out hating to ask but wanting to get this issue settled and over with before it became a huge problem to them.

Sakura nods slowly while wondering if the little bit she had would be enough to get the entire group to her home "Yes" she finally answers looking as if she was in pain while holding up her wrist for Pein to see "How is that tiny bit of sand going to help up" Kisame snarls at her and Sakura presses herself into Hidan's side who looked furious but it was Kakuzu who spoke up "That sand protects her, if she says it will work, I for one will believe it" Kakuzu defends Sakura all with out wasting a single moment.

"So how does the sand work Sakura-san" Pein asks while staring at Kakuzu like he was an alien "Well it's hard to explain but I can show you" Sakura grins sheepishly and they all watch in amazement as the sand surrounds her and she disappears only to reappear a few minutes later next to Konan waving "And does it work with other people" he asks again and Sakura nods taking Konan's hand and Pein watches as the two females disappear again and appear closer to him just to prove and that was enough for Pein who nods in complete acceptance.

"Ok the village should be asleep so it makes our job easier of getting to Lady Hokage" Sakura spoke up remembering that from memory "Ok if you could just put a hand on my shoulder and each of you are touching this should work" she says again mentally pleading to the sand that it deliver them safely to the Hidden Leaf Village when the sand encases them all blocking their vision and making it dark Sakura knew that it was working and suddenly she wondered what else she could with the sand but that thought would have to come later.

Several minutes later they are set down in the middle of the Leaf Village when Sakura could see again she looked around and then to some of the Akatsuki's amusement started glaring at the sand "You couldn't have set us down any closer" she snaps softly before shaking her head and leading the entire group through the village avoiding people by ducking into dark alleys every so often before finally arriving at the steps that led up to the Hokage Tower where she could still feel Lady Tsunade's chakra in her office obviously still working, Sakura took a deep breath.


	23. Trouble Part 3 and Meeting Inner

And led the entire group of S Class Criminals up the stairs by passing the secretary who was sound asleep and down the hall to the Hokage's office knocking on the door they wait with baited breath and then "Enter" Tsunade bellows angrily from within and Sakura opens the door and the 5th Hokage gives a sigh of relief before tensing at the person standing next to the pink-haired teen "Itachi Uchiha" Tsunade whispers her honey brown eyes scanning over the rest of the people with the girl as the door closes and a sound proofing jutsu goes up afterwards.

"Why are you here" Tsunade asks staring hard at the last remaining Uchiha "Lady Tsunade please let me explain" Sakura speaks up and Tsunade realizes that it was Sakura standing close to the Uchiha and not the other way around "Of course brat but you better make it quick" Tsunade snaps "Has Sasuke's grave been dug up recently" Sakura enquires questioningly "How the hell did you know that brat" Tsunade stands pushing her chair back in her haste "Ah well I'll explain that later but I know who did it" Sakura smiles sheepishly before announcing seriously and Tsunade glares harshly.

"Pray tell Sakura how you know who did it since you've been out of the village" Tsunade asks angrily causing the girl to hide partially behind Itachi "Like I said I'll explain later Lady Tsunade but what's important is we stop him before anyone else can be harmed by this man" Sakura frowns deeply 'If we don't act know it will be too late' she thought briefly before slipping out of her thoughts and staring Tsunade down willing the woman to believe her so that Itachi's name could be cleared and be revered as a hero instead of a criminal.

"Ok Sakura, who is it" Tsunade slumps back down in her chair rubbing her temples with healing chakra as a headache forms "Danzou Shimura" the girl announces bluntly causing Tsunade to groan at the mention of the man who hated her 'Of course it would be him he was the one who first accused Sakura' Tsunade thought "For whatever reason I'll believe you, Kakashi, Yamato apprehend Danzou and place him in a cell and Izumo go fetch Inoichi Yamanaka" Tsunade orders grabbing a bottle of sake and taking a swig swishing it around in her mouth before finally swallowing it.

The three men race off to do as their Kage had ordered while Tsunade addresses the room again "And who are the rest of you" she asks rolling her eyes when none of them introduce themselves "Ok Sakura who are they" Tsunade instead asks Sakura who grins cheekily "They are the Akatsuki" Sakura introduces not giving away any names which pisses Tsunade off who stands and stalks over to Sakura and nearly gets away with whacking the girl over the head 'If it was for that damn' Tsunade thought before "SAND" she snaps pressing her lips together and glaring exasperated.

"Yes Lady Tsunade Sand" Sakura snickers hiding behind Itachi again childishly peeking around him amusement in her emerald eyes 'Oh how I enjoy riling this woman up' Sakura laughs mentally Inner agreeing with her "S-a-k-u-r-a" Tsunade grinds out slowly between clenched teeth drawing the girl out of her thoughts "Yes Lady Tsunade" Sakura enquires innocently causing Tsunade to roll her eyes and sigh before sitting in her chair again "Quit the innocent act I'm sure no one believes it" the woman sighs again before gazing at the group again hoping to gain answers instead of being mouthed off to again.

Finally the orange haired one introduces himself along with the rest of his orginization "Pein how are you involved in this" Tsunade asks when the woman named Konan announces something about revenge "Danzou ruined the life off one of my friends" Pein says simply not elaborating any further Tsunade was about to ask more questions when Kakashi dropped in the office coming through the ceiling "Danzou has been apprehended he seems to think he has done nothing wrong" Kakashi announces when Izumo comes flying through the door "Inoichi will meet you there" he breathes breathlessly almost falling over in exhaustion.

"Good let's go Sakura and you as well Itachi Uchiha the rest of you make yourselves comfortable" Tsunade barks out the order before walking briskly from the room leading the two to the underground cells where Danzou and Inoichi were waiting for them when they arrive Tsunade places Sakura in front of Inoichi "Check her mind to validate her information" the blonde orders before staring at Danzou angrily through the bars on the cell "What is the meaning of this Princess Tsunade" Danzou asks angrily he had been sleeping when all of a sudden Kakashi and Yamato came barging in.

He had let them take him because he didn't think that Tsunade would have anyway to prove that he had done it but seeing the girl that Tsunade had been fiercely defending Danzou had to admit he was beginning to get worried and then when Inoichi Yamanaka appeared he knew that he was truly screwed especially since Tsunade had ordered Inoichi to check the girls mind "I should have known that you were up to something" Tsunade angrily snaps at him and he could tell she was refraining from open the cell door and beating him into submission without fear.

"Whatever do you mean" Danzou snaps back defending himself while hoping that the pink-haired girl couldn't prove whatever information she had given the Hokage and thats when he finally notices Itachi Uchiha 'If he's here then I'm truly done for' he thinks and Danzou slumps in defeat "That's what I thought" Tsunade smirks triumphantly upon seeing the expression on Danzou's face at the sight of Itachi Tsunade had to admit that she had shifted to the side to allow the man to be seen just so she could see Danzou's expression apparently Danzou finally realized how dire the situation was.

"It's looks bleak for you Danzou anything you'd like to add" Tsunade asks haughtily the older man wisely remains silent as Inoichi takes Sakur over to a chair and has her sit in it "Sakura-san I'm going to enter you mind now" he smiles kindly at the little girl his daughter seemed to dislike so much before doing a few handsigns and placing his hand on the little girls forehead closing his eyes in concentration he suddenly found himself floating throug the girls mind he had just began his search when the memory he was searching for appeared before him.

"Is this what your looking for Yamanaka-san" he looked up to see Sakura 'Wait no that's not Sakura' he furrowed his brows in confusion before deciding to ask "Who are you" he asks enquiringly "I'm Inner" the girl walks over to him as land appears "Inner" Inoichi asks confused "I'm Sakura-chan's Inner self her repressed negative emotions the stronger those emotions get the stronger I get to" Inner explains suddenly "Are you her" Inoichi asks curiously "No I'm myself Sakura doesn't control me" Inner responds "Say Sakura-san was having trouble in a battle could you lend her chakra" Inoichi asks.

He had noticed that this Inner being had chakra and he wanted to find out more about this creature that seemed to live within the confines of Sakura's head "If she was in dire need of it then yes Yamanaka-san I could lend Saku-chan some of my chakra" Inner speaks softly twirling around in the field of flowers that suddenly appeared "How long have you been here Inner-san" Inoichi speaks up when the girl remains silent for several minutes "I was first formed when Saku-chan was upset by Shino-kun" Inner giggles childishly throwing her arms in the air and spinning.

"I didn't make contact with her until she was seven though but my appearance was way different back then" Inner admits picking a flower and sniffing it delicately "What did you look like back then" he asks filing away all the information in the back of his head "I had dark purple hair and dark forest green eyes" Inner giggles as a breeze ruffles her long white hair "Why those specific colors" Inoichi furrows his brows again "Oh because well it's none of your business why" Inner was apparently getting tired of all the question and disappeared taking the landscape.

When everything had disappeared the only thing that remained was Inoichi and the memory he needed to search when he was done gathering the information he reversed his jutsu and suddenly he was back in his own body "Are you ok there Inoichi-san" Sakura asks when he pales and sways on his feet "Oh I just met Inner" he grimaces before walking from the room in order to vomit when he was done he wiped his mouth and brushed his teeth before reporting what he found to Lady Tsunade "I've got the proof we need" Inoichi hands over a scroll.

This scroll held all the information he had gathered while in Sakura's mind searching through the memory 'What did you do to him Inner' Sakura calls out to the girl 'I didn't do anything Sakura' Inner appeared in a swirl of purple chakra it was crackling like lightning around the girl 'Are you sure' Sakura asks sighing in relief when the girl nods before disappearing again when Sakura pulled out of her thoughts Inoichi was invading Itachi's mind he appeared to be very deep in the man's thoughts because sweat was dripping off of him like a downpour of rain.

A few minutes later Inoichi opened his eyes and walked over to a desk and began writing furiously on a scroll a few minutes he sets down the pencil and walks back over and hands the scroll to Tsunade before sitting next to her "Are you ok Inoichi-san" Sakura asks softly "Of course Sakura-san" he gives the girl a soft smile before falling silent watching Tsunade read the scrolls growing angrier and angrier with every word "Danzou I'm not even going to take the time to punish you seal off his chakra and give him to Pein" Tsunade orders grimly.

Kakashi does as Tsunade had asked placing chakra sealing cuffs on the man and dragging him from the cell and back to Tsunade's office where the rest of the Akatsuki were still waiting when they re-enter the office Hidan grabs Sakura up squeezing her in a tight hug "Hey bitch" he whispers before letting her fall on the ground while Sakura pouts up at him rubbing her sore bottom "Prick" she mumbles under her breath the word was mumbled so quietly that Hidan didn't hear it of course he was also distracted by Danzou who was begging for his life.

"You rest of you will stay in the village Konan and I have business to attend to" Pein orders before taking Konan's hand and grabbing Danzou's shirt collar disappear before Tsunade's eyes who sighs but kicks the rest of them out of her office but before they could leave "Itachi your name is cleared the rest of you we will figure out now get out of my office" she orders slumping in her chair when the door closes as they hurry out of her office not wanting to witness her legendary temper and face the womans horrible wrath in fear.

"Well now what" Hidan huffs when they exit the building and they all turn as one to look at Sakura for directions "Umm well I can't take you to my home for obvious reasons so maybe a friend of mine could keep you for the night" Sakura giggles sheepishly before leading them through the town to an apartment complex taking a deep breath Sakura begins pounding on the door a few minutes later a blonde head pokes out of the apartment "Sakura-chan" Naruto mumbles sleepily rubbing his eyes and blinking sluggishly when he see's the girl standing outside his apartment.

"Hey Naruto can we crash here for the night" Sakura asks really quick causing the boy to blink quickly "Umm sure Sakura-chan" he answers slowly before opening the door wider so that all of them could enter his house an hour or so later they were all situated on the floor uncomfortable pushed together as Naruto's bedroom was small while someone slept on the couch and Sakura slept next to Naruto already fast asleep 'This is not my idea of fun' Hidan pouts but wisely remains quiet as they settled down and doze off for the rest of the night.


	24. Just Desserts for Danzou

Pein took Danzou far into the forest when the three arrived Pein threw Danzou down onto the ground before leaning against a tree "Please I'll do anything" the old man begged pathetically from where he had thrown him "If you spare my life I'll give you anything you want" Danzou tried again he didn't want to die here he was so close to his ultimate goal and that stupid brat Sakura Aburame had to ruin it all "Can you bring people back to life" Pein asks from his spot "No" Danzou snaps no one could be brought back to life.

"Then no mercy" Pein decides purple-ringed eyes glinting angrily as he glares down at the man who had ruined their lives "It's time for you to die Danzou" the blue-haired woman appears in a swirl of paper before while folding one of said paper into a shuriken imbuing it with her chakra she flings it lazily at Danzou and it cuts his cheek before they could go much further Sakura who had tried sleeping waited until everyone else was asleep before following Pein and Konan she wanted revenge for Sasuke as well and so she appeared in the clearing also.

"Sakura-san what are you doing here" Pein sighs eye twitching in irritation "I have to get revenge for what he did to Sasuke" Sakura answers watching Danzou who tried to run for it "Let us get our revenge as well Sakura-chan" Konan speaks next and the little girl nods standing next to Pein quietly while Konan flung more paper shuriken at Danzou pinning him down to the ground before stalking over to him to press her heel into his chest "So Danzou, karma's a bitch isn't it" the woman cackles madly she had loved Yahiko, she would have her revenge.

When Konan was finished the man was barely conscious as Pein walked over to him and stole half his chakra not that Danzou could use it anyway before gouging out the sharigan eye that was underneath the bandages before ripping the tightly wrapped bandages from his arm only to gasp in disgust "You truly deserve everything that's coming to you" Pein seethes at the sight dropping the eye into a jar with solution and walking back over to Sakura who was waiting patiently "Here Sakura-san give this to Itachi I'm sure he'll know what it is" Pein announces very softly.

"Of course Pein-san just set it there I'll take it when I'm finished oh do you want him to die fast or slow" Sakura asked suddenly causing Pein to blink "Slow make it very slow" he smirks before settling against the tree to watch as Sakura stalked over to the man swiped a bit of his blood of his cheek before licking her finger clean and her skin changed colors and purple chakra emits from Sakura as she gains temporary immortality he watches on as Sakura stabs herself and creates Jashin's symbol on the ground healing the would she created.

"Now Danzou it's time you got your just desserts and as people like to say what goes around comes around" Sakura smirks before slashing herself all over some cuts long some short but all of them painful as she uses her full knowledge on anatomy knowing just where to cut to make Danzou scream in agony if Pein had been a lesser man he would take pity on Danzou but like Sakura had said he definitely was getting what he deserved on a particularly shallow cut the old man starts crying the pain finally getting to him as he fades.

Seeing this and eyeing the Sharigan embedded in Danzou's arm an idea comes to Sakura before taking the kunai she was using she slowly trailed it up her arm where the first Sharigan was whistling to get his attention Sakura smiles when his remaining eye widens in terror "Please anything but thaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttt" Danzou screams as she jabs the kunai into her shoulder before doing the same with the others it was clear that Sakura was finished because when she had destroyed the last one and slammed it all the way to the hilt into her heart falling over obviously dead.

A few minutes later she comes to with a groan of pleasure and with a wince pulls the kunai out before throwing a quick smile at Pein and Konan before fainting in exhaustion sighing Pein walks over to the girl and picks her up gently "Is she ok" Konan asks in worry over the pink-haired girl "Yes, I believe she is just sleeping" Pein whispers brushing Sakura's long pink hair off her face gently before taking Konan's hand as they head back to the village silently when they appear where the rest of the Akatsuki is Pein smirks in amusement.

The members were scrunched up close together with no room to even move he wondered how they had fallen asleep but obviously by the sight of the blonde boy sleeping in a bed and the empty spot it was clear they had remained quiet so that the two teens could sleep so Pein places Sakura on the bed covers her up scribbles a quick note for one of them to read smirking again at the sight Pein takes Konan's hand and leaves the village 'Let the Hokage deal with them now' he thought wondering how the woman would handle this.


	25. Itachi Re-Instated

The next moring Itachi woke early he was also the one to find Pein's note reading it Itachi just had to wonder what had changed Pein's mind so much that he no longer needed them of course now that his name had been cleared all that was left was to be re-instated as a Leaf Shinobi though he did wonder if the others would join as well though spying Hidan he had a feeling that because of Sakura the rest would join just to stay close to her Itachi turned when he heard soft rustling and a soft whispered sigh.

"Itachi-san is that a letter from Pein-san" came next as Sakura sat up in bed to look over at him "Hn" he answers causing Sakura's eye to twitch in annoyance 'God those Uchiha just can't answer in normal words can they' Sakura thought with a sigh before taking the letter Itachi held loosely in his hand scanning the contents Sakura bursts into quiet laughter she was being so quiet that Itachi had to strain his ears just to hear the laughing "Oh boy Lady Tsunade is going to have a conniption" Sakur chokes out trying not to laugh out loud.

*To who ever find this letter first:

I hereby disband the Akatsuki I find myself with a new goal that doesn't need a whole organization your free to do whatever you wish make a new life for yourselves just don't come bothering me because I'll kick you out of the Hidden Rain Village with that said I leave you with one last piece of advice don't annoy the Hokage if you know what's good for you of course half of you will ignore that but still I had to try with that said this note ends.

Pein Ex Akatsuki Leader*

They had gathered in her office again reading the letter Tsunade barely resisted the urge to bang her head repeatedly on her desk 'Why can't anything be easy' she heaved a great sigh "Lady Tsunade please let them stay" Sakura pipes up next to Itachi and the silver-haired man "Why should I brat these men are wanted in all the great nations" Tsunade argued backing wanting to see what the girl would say to that when the girl says nothing for several minutes Tsunade smirks in triumph "Got nothing to say brat" she asks pleased as punch she had won.

"Not quite Lady Tsunade" Sakura responds apparently she had just been thinking hard about what she wanted to say "The Leaf would benefit greatly from them if we allied ourselves with the Hidden Rain we would also gain the help of Pein-san and Konan-san the strongest in the village I noticed that while I was there the Hidden Rain needs a lot of help and we could help them to strengthen our ties" Sakura starts off speaking diplomatically impressing everyone in the room "Kakuzu-san here can help with the Leaf's Finances" Sakura lists smiling kindly at the heart hardened man.

"Kisame, Deidara and Sasori-san can do espionage missions as they are very strong and not easily detered and Zetsu-san and Itachi-san are good at spying missions" Sakura continues listing off before falling silent "HEY WHAT ABOUT ME FUCKING BITCH" Hidan shouts when he realizes that she had left him out "Your gonna stay with me Hidan" Sakura pouts cutely making everyone in the room to bust out laughing or in some cases chuckling "Ok brat just because I believe you and don't want to see you hurt anymore they can stay" Tsunade smiles at Sakura before getting down to business.

"Because you were found innocent Itachi you are hereby stripped of your international criminal statis and reinstated as a Leaf Shinobi here is your new headband" Tsunade announces in a no nonsense tone while glaring at the ceiling "Kakashi if your going to be listening in why don't you join us in the room" Tsunade gives a little snarl when the ceiling moves and said man drops down to the floor "Lady Tsunade" he gives a cheerful wave before standing behind Sakura "Hatake" she growls warningly before heaving another sigh resisting the urge to bang her head on the desk.

'Why can't I catch a break with these people' Tsunade thought clenching her eyes shut before 'Hehehe this will teach him' an idea had come to her and it was absolutely brilliant "Kakashi since your so determined to have a part in this meeting" Tsunade starts with a wide smile seeing this Kakashi starts to back up throwing out an excuse "Well you see I was just on my way to help this little old lady with her groceries so I'll just be going now" he hurriedly backs up only to bump into Kisame who blocked the door in amusement.

"You get to house the rest of the disbanded Akatsuki for 3 weeks while I call a 5 Kage Summit Meeting" Tsunade finished with a smirk causing Kakashi to groan in fake pain "I think I have a heart problem maybe I should go to the hospital and get it checked out" Kakashi tries to shoulder past Kisame only to stop when a sniffle fills the room "Kakashi-senpai" Sakura calls out tearfully catching onto Tsunade's plan 'Oh god and now she's crying' he thought while giving a resigned sigh "Alright Lady Tsunade they can stay with me" Kakashi sighs out.

"Yay" Sakura brightens up giving an excited clap causing Kisame to let out a snort "Yeah like we believe your innocent act anymore pinky only a complete idiot would fall for that" the blue man chuckles causing Sakura to turn around and glare heatedly at him "I know what we are having for dinner tonight" Sakura snaps out scowling deeply before turning back around causing Kakashi to stare warily at the pinkette "And Sakura since your on vacation you'll be coming with me to the summit" Tsunade smiles and this starts another round of laughter at Sakura's expense who nods.

"What your not going to complain like Kakashi did" Tsunade asks in surprise the smile dropping from her lips at her question "No because no matter how weird these guys are they deserve a second chance and if that means going to a 5 Kage Summit with you Lady Tsunade then that's what I'll do" Sakura gives a little sigh at the end of her speech straightening her back and raising her head in pride it was apparent to Tsunade that no one would be able to change Sakura's mind about this 'Not that I want to' she thought briefly.

"Alright then get the hell out of my office I'll call you when I'm getting ready to leave" Tsunade shouts sending the men in her office scramlbing out the door while Sakura gave her a bright smile and followed them at a much slower pace shutting the door quietly behind her "And Shizune bring me some Sake" they heard Tsunade scream a moment later as they left the building completely "That woman's scarier than Konan on a good day" Deidara piped up a few minutes later as Kakashi led them to his apartment so that they could settle in easily.


	26. Calling All Kage's

"Here Lady Tsunade" Shizune comes running into the office with a bottle of sake "Also Shizune send out letters to the Kage's of each village I'm calling a 5 Kage Summit Meeting in the Land of Iron" Tsunade calls out before the woman could leave the office "Right away M'Lady" Shizune runs out of the office like the devil was nipping at her heels and down the hall to her office to begin writing those letters when she was done she flew out of the room and up to the roof so that the letters could be sent out immediately.

-Land of Iron-

"Lord Mifune a letter from The Lady Hokage has come" a man dressed in samurai armor came into the room disrupting the man at the desk he was tall with gray hair black eyes and a goatee beard "And what does this letter say" the man now known as Mifune asks in wonder 'What could the Hokage possible want with him' he thought while his underling ripped open the scroll and quickly scanned the contents before handing the letter over to him to read peering down 'Ah I see' Mifune thought with a nod at the contents.

*To Mifune of the Land of Iron

I, Lady Tsunade the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village will be calling a 5 Kage Summit and I would like to request our meeting be in the Land of Iron you may of course be present at the meeting but it is of utter importance that this meeting happens on neutral territory

Signed Tsunade Senju*

The scroll read and Mifune looked up startled "Prepare the meeting room a 5 Kage Summit Meeting will be happening soon" he ordered his underling wondering what could cause Tsunade to call a 5 Kage Summit Meeting.

-Land of Lightning-

"Lord Raikage a letter from the Hidden Leaf Village has just arrived for you" Mabui comes running into the office that was currently occupied by an arguing Ay and Bee "Bee your punishment is the IRON CLAW" Ay snarls at his younger brother before grasping the mans face and squeezing tightly all the while Bee complained "Fool, ya fool one of this days" before trailing off as he is thrown out the window 'Not again' Mabui sighed briefly before addressing Ay again "Lord Raikage a letter from the Leaf Village has just arrived for you" Mabui pants.

"Well don't just stand there hand it over" Ay orders in a rough voice prompting Mabui to thrust the letter over and rush from the room to get back to work.

*To the Raikage

Lady Tsunade from the Hidden Leaf Village would like to call a 5 Kage Summit Meeting

Signed Shizune*

The letter was short not really explaining much but it was enough for Ay to call out "Cee, Darui let's head to the Land of Iron" before jumping out the window he had broken with the too aforementioned men following behind him as they pack a few bags.

-In the Land of Water-

"Lady Mizukage a letter has just arrived for you from the Hokage's assistant" Ao enters the room with his face set into a look of indifference "Oh maybe this has something to do with a problem" the woman who had recently become Mizukage was beautiful long auburn hair reaching past her waist and gleaming green eyes her name was Mei Terumi "I doubt it Lady Mizukage" Ao said as he dropped the scroll on her desk and ducked out of the office all with out another word to the woman who had a legendary temper.

'Hmmph that Ao' Mei groaned in her thoughts before picking up the scroll and reading it before calling Ao and Zabuza into her office "It seems we've been called to a 5 Kage Summit meeting you two will be going with me" Mei ordered before rising from her desk and heading out the door and out of the village followed by Zabuza and Ao who now shouldered packs that held the bare minimum unless the meeting dragged on for longer than a few days it would last them a couple days unless they could figure something else out later on.

-Land of Stone-

"Hey old man it looks like the Hokage is calling a 5 Kage Summit meeting" Kurotsuchi comes in the Ohnoki's office with a smirk waving the scroll in front of the ancient looking man "Confound it all Kurotsuchi give me that scroll OWWW my back" and pained mutterings came from the old man sitting in the chair "Maybe you should hand down the title of Tsuchikage" Kurotsuchi smirks again while Ohnoki mumbles under his breath about brats with no manners and how he was still the Tsuchikage and when he would get some damn respect around here.

"Whatever old man do you want me to get Akatsuchi so that we can be on our way" Kurotsuchi asks after stuffing the scroll in her pouch "Young whippersnapper I'll do it myself OWWWWWW" Ohnoki rubbed his back again before sitting back down in his seat with another grumble "Fine but make it quick" and with a laugh Kurotsuchi left the room a few minutes later the trio were on their way to the Land of Snow and by extension the Land of Iron so they could get this meeting over with quickly Kurotsuchi picking at Ohnoki the entire way.

-Land of Wind-

"Baki a scroll from the Hidden Leaf Village just came for you" Temari ran into the room with a scroll clutched in her hand Baki had been assigned as temporary Kazekage when they had returned to the Hidden Sand and found out that the Sand Siblings father had been killed by Orochimaru for their betrayal "What does it say Temari" Baki asks not looking up from the paperwork "That the Hokage has called a 5 Kage Summit Meeting in the Land of Iron" Temari reeled off causing Baki to look up in surprise at the vague message.

"And does it say why Lady Hokage has called a meeting with the other Kage's" he asks when Gaara walks into the room anger clear in his eyes "No Baki it doesn't" Temari shrugs her shoulders "I'm going" Gaara speaks up and about nearly disappears if it hadn't been for Temari reaching out and grabbing his arm despite the growl and the threatening glare "Gaara I don't think it's about Sakura-chan" she tries to soothe but he just didn't want to listen at all "It's fine Temari" Baki sighs out "He as well as you are coming" Baki orders simply.

"Hey what about me" Kankurou pouts from over in the corner where he had been messing about with some puppets "Stay here Kankurou your in charge while I'm gone" Baki orders again before taking a hold of Gaara who would get them to the Land of Iron in a swirl of sand and with that they were gone Kankurou still pouting in the corner before deciding that the least he could do was alert the village elders about the meeting with the other Kages and find someone else to do the paperwork that Baki had left unfinished on his desk.

And with that 4 of the 5 Kage were headed to the Land of Iron each of them wondering what the meeting was about but still worried that it was an international problem what they didn't know was that Tsunade couldn't resist a cute little pink-haired girl and her adorableness all that was left was for the Hokage to make her way to the meeting place and she was still in the Hidden Leaf Village sleeping off a hangover at her desk while Shizune frantically tried to wake her up so that they could leave the village without being late.


	27. 5 Kage Summit Meeting Part 1

-2 days later-

The letters had been sent off and by now the Kage's had started making their way to the meeting place "Lady Tsunade please wake up" and Shizune was trying to wake Tsunade up "mmhhhmmmm" Tsunade mumbles out a little drool dribbling down her cheek "Urgh LADY TSUNADE WAKE UP THERE IS NO MORE SAKE" Sakura loudly announces causing the blonde woman to sit up flailing as her chair tips over sending the blonde sprawling out on the floor in her panic induced stupor "No more Sake" Tsunade screams angrily before finally realizing exactly just what had happened.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah" Sakura was rolling around on the ground laughing like a maniac "You should've seen your face Lady Tsunade" the pinkette points pressing her lips together as her cheeks puff up from trying not to laugh her emerald eyes twinkling in repressed amusement all while Tsunade glared at her "Sakura" the blonde growls out warningly stalking over to the pinkette and before the sand around her wrist had a chance to react whacked the still laughing girl over the head "Owww meanie" Sakura stuck her tongue out childishly while rubbing her sore head "Brat" Tsunade dubs sitting in her seat.

Healing her sore noggin funny moment over Sakura stands up "Lady Tsunade it's been two days" Sakura pouted she didn't want the disbanded Akatsuki to get in trouble for being in the village and she had just been by to see them they were getting antsy with being cooped up in Kakashi's small apartment "Alright, alright, alright already" Tsunade groans slamming her head on her desk and breaking it in half "Not another one" Shizune hides her face in her hands in exasperation "Go get Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara" Tsunade orders sending Shizune from the office in a hurry.

Outside the office Shizune creates a clone and giving the clone it's mission sends it from the building while she headed towards the Nara residence knocking on the door Shikaku's son Shikamaru answers the door "Oh hello Shizune" the boy greets dully shoulders slumping "What the heck kind of greeting is that" Shizune glares at the young boy before shaking her head and stalking past him when she spotted Shikamaru lounging on the couch a beer in his hand as he read the newspaper "Shikaku-san, Lady Tsunade has asked for you" Shizune calls out making the man groan but stand.

Task finished she leads the much taller than her man back to the Hokage's office meeting Inoichi along the way it was apparent her clone had completed it's task before leading the two to Tsunade where Sakura was crying fake tears and Tsunade was smirking "What on earth happened I've only been gone a few minutes" Shizune sighed hands on her hips before giving up when neither of the females answer "Nevermind that Shizune your in charge until we come back now quit your belly aching Sakura and act like a shinobi damnit" Tsunade barks out stalking from the office.

With the order Sakura hops up as if she hadn't been crying and follows Tsunade from the office leaving three shocked people behind when "Don't just stand there you two get a move on" Tsunade hollers from down the hall halfway down the steps causing the two men to skuttle out of the office after the two females both wondering what the hell was going on with their leader normally she was kinder to people unless Sakura was deliberately riling Tsunade up then there was no reason for the girl to go along Shikaku was about to ask the woman.

Before Shikaku could so much as even breathe a word Tsunade swung around and pinned him with a glare "It's punishment for being a brat and annoying me" Tsunade then turned back around and lead the party of 3 out of the village headed straight for the land of iron "Sakura what did you do" Inoichi ever the polite one asked the small pink-haired teen who his son harbored a crush on "Oh well um you see hehe" some words tumble from Sakura's mouth never giving a straight answer before Sakura turns and smiles extremely brightly at the two men.

Blinking at the smile Shikaku shakes his head while Inoichi drops the question it was clear by that smile that Sakura didn't want to talk about it until they got to the Summit and the meeting was underway "Sakura, did you know that Shikamaru has a crush on you" Shikaku speaks up drawing Inoichi's gaze before the man swung his head back around to stare at the now blushing girl upon closer examination it appeared the girl had dyed her bangs silver and he wondered when that had happened "Ah yes Shikaku-san" Sakura clears her throat glaring at the ground.

"Really" Shikaku asks in surprise and Sakura nods her head "It's not like Shika-kun hides it very well" Sakura admits watching the ground "Shika-kun" Shikaku questions confusedly "Ah my nickname for him sometimes he calls me Saku-chan only when he's in a rare mood" her head bobs up and down still staring at the damn ground "Sakura is the ground really that interesting" Shikaku coughs out in a laugh causing the girl to swing her head up and stare at him her mouth gaped open he had just figured out what she was doing she had fallen into his trap.

Narrowing her eyes Sakura mumbles "And here I thought Shikamaru was smart" causing all three of the adults to laugh "Sakura-san, Shikamaru learned everything from me" Shikaku pats her on her head before falling silent it was a few minutes before "Did you dye the tips of your bangs" Inoichi asks causing Sakura to look at him before rubbing the tips of her bangs between her fingers "No it just kinda happened" she admits after a few minutes causing the two men to share a look "Does Shibi know this" Tsunade asks with out stopping her hurried and fast pace.

"No he thinks I dyed it I didn't correct him" Sakura admits again causing Shikaku to share another look this time one filled with suspicion "Why isn't he your father" Shikaku asks walking slower to keep pace with the little girl "Yes, but if the clan knew the real reason they would look down on me again and dad doesn't need that kind of stress so if he wants to think I dyed the tips of my hair silver then that's what he'll think" Sakura sighed out pulling her long hair into a tight bun to sit atop her head.

"Why are the tips of your hair silver" Inoichi finally asks the question they were all wanting to know the answer to "When we went looking for Lady Tsunade the day before we arrived in Tanzaku town I met Hidan" Sakura started "He had lost his pendant so I helped him find it by summoning Tomo-kun it was stuck to his straw hat this necklace had something to do with his religion which he told me about while treating me to tea and dango's" she continued with story before stopping, waiting to see if they would ask her any questions.

"Go on Sakura-san" Inoichi gestured for her to continue engrossed in the story Sakura was telling "A few days later I sent him a letter asking him questions about this so called religion of his while I was training with Anko-sensei during the day he was inducting me into his religion during the night and because I was accepted so quickly the tips of my hair turned silver" Sakura finished suddenly "Well what is this religion about" Tsunade snapped from the front she didn't believe a single word of the story that Sakura had told them while they continued walking.

"Erm hehe it's about Jashin the god of slaughter" she spoke quickly before turning her head and whistling while Tsunade screeched "Are you telling me Sakura that you sacrifice people just for a made up god" Tsunade stopped in her tracks turning on her heels honey brown eyes blazing in fury "NO Are you crazy Lady Tsunade I only off the bad guys" Sakura stopped at the accusation emerald eyes filling with real tears this time and spilling down her cheeks in a torrent of emotions "Sakura who else knows besides Hidan" Tsunade asks softening her gaze seeing Sakura cry.

"Gaara and now you three" Sakura admits wiping her tears from her face all the while still crying "And for the record Lady Tsunade, Jashin does exist I've met him" she admits further choking on a laugh when Sasuke peeks his head out of her trenchcoat pocket and gives a squeak of agreement "What does Jashin look like then if your so adamant that he exists" Tsunade asks more curious now, tears slowing to a stop Sakura answers "He has long white hair that pools on the ground and violet eyes" she explains causing Tsunade to whistle in awed appreciation.

"Sounds like a hottie" she teases "Why like Shikamaru when you've got someone like Jashin" Tsunade snorts in amusement starting to walk again it was clear to Sakura that Tsunade didn't believe a single word she had said still "Lady Tsun..." Shikaku clamps his hand around Sakura's mouth to prevent her from calling out to the oblivious blonde woman "Sakura leave it" he hisses in her ear before quickly following after his Hokage Inoichi doing the same it was clear that the conversation was over for the time being until Shikaku could talk to her at a much later time.

Since they had to travel much further to get to the Land of Iron Tsunade pulled her group to a stop when it became nightfall and in amazement they watch Sakura scurry around the clearing Tsunade had chosen collecting twigs, large sticks, dry leaves and dry grass before digging into the ground building an impressive fire before digging matches out of her pack and lighting it when she was done Sakura stood still for a few minutes before dashing off in a random direction several minutes later she came back carrying a string of fish already gutted and already de-boned.

And a basket of large juicy berries they then watched as she bent over the fire choosing a stick and then speared all of the fish and set them up over the fire after sprinkling some kind of herb on them she did all of this in plain sight but Tsunade was still a little wary "It's parsley, salt and pepper" Sakura answers the un-asked question "If you don't believe me here" she held out a pinch for Tsunade sniffing it gently Tsunade then licks the small pinch checking for poison deeming it save mouth watering her stomach rumbles loudly.

A few minutes later Sakura deems the fish ready and the three adults dig in chewing on the fish in delight while Sakura takes little nibbles here and there as she reads a book when all the fish was finished the 4 settle down to sleep a couple hours later Sakura sits up in her sleeping bag holding her breath she stands slowly before walking over to the tree-line unaware that Shikaku was watching her and hops into a tree to do her evening ritual even though it was a bit late Shikaku was curious so he followed her silently.

"Hello Sakura-san" he whispers startling the girl who was mid prayer "Shikaku-san" she turns on her branch nearly falling off if it weren't for Shikaku reaching forward and grasping the end of her trenchcoat and setting her upright on the branch heart pounding Sakura uses chakra to anchor herself to the branch so that she wouldn't almost fall off again "What are you doing Sakura-san" Shikaku asks curiously eyeing the weird forest green pikes "Oh it's the evening prayer I have to do this or Lord Jashin gets a little angry" she admits while holding up a green pendant.

It held a triangle in a circle on it "You speak as if he exists" Shikaku tries again "He does just because you've never met him doesn't mean he isn't there in the shadows" Sakura grasps the pike before starting her prayer again and Shikaku watches on in horror as Sakura slashes herself on the wrists before falling over in what he thought was blood-loss he almost hopped out of the tree to wake Tsunade when Sakura came to a moment later and the slash wounds were completely healed "Yeah he was a little upset haha" Sakura gave a small laugh.

"Your wounds are completely healed I didn't see you heal them so how did they heal" Shikaku asks quickly "Oh it's a perk of being a Jashinist fast healing" Sakura admits quietly "So what other gifts do you have being a Jashinist as you put it" Shikaku asks again "Immortality but I don't have it right now but Jashin can give it to me and take it away any time he wants" Sakura pouts at this before falling silent consumed in her thoughts a large range of emotions cross her face before her lips settle into an extremely deep scowl.

"How does he take it away" Shikaku enquires curious to know more about this uknown religion 'What do you know there is something Shikaku-san doesn't know about' Sakura almost giggled but managed to keep a straight face while answering his newest question "I'm not exactly sure I'll have to ask the next time I see him" Sakura finally giggles "How many people have you sacrificed" he asks again and this causes Sakura to pause "2" she finally admits after a long while before she yawns widely "We should get some rest" Shikaku stands up stretching a little before jumping down.

"I'll be down soon Shikaku-san" came quietly from high up in the tree sighing Shikaku jumps back up "I'll wait for you then Sakura-san" he nods politely at Sakura who sighs she had been hoping to have a little privacy "Was there something you were going to do" Shikaku enquires when the girl just sits there a pout forming on her previous scowling lips "Oh well I was gonna talk to Jashin" Sakura admits sheepishly rubbing the back of her head and musing up her hair "But I suppose it can wait" she finishes before jumping out of the tree.

He watches as she slips into her sleeping bag and closes her eyes a few minutes later her breathing evens out and she was fast asleep following Shikaku lands on the ground silently and stalks silently over to his own sleeping bag zipping it back up he pillows his head with his hands watching the night sky lazily before Inoichi wakes up and takes over the watch 'Sakura Aburame is a mystery she'll be good for Shikamaru keep him on his toes' he thought yawning before finally slipping into a deep slumber only to be awoken hours later by screaming.


	28. 5 Kage Summit Meeting Part 2

She had been sleeping peacefully when Lady Tsunade started screaming and so with a sigh Sakura sat up in her bed roll looking over she immediately noticed the problem it seemed Sasuke decided to curl up on Tsunade's rather large breasts "Lady Tsunade, Sasuke won't harm you" she clamped her hands over her ears to protect them from the shrieking cutting off mid scream "Sasuke you named this thing SASUKE" Tsunade yelled tempted to toss the ferret into the forest "I found him when Sasuke died so that's why" Sakura shrugs it was clear to Inoichi and Shikaku it wasn't the truth.

"WHATEVER JUST GET IT THE HELL OFF OF ME" and with that Tsunade was back to shrieking standing Sakura walked over to Tsunade and gently picked the baby ferret up tucking him into her pocket where he usually stayed "Finally" Tsunade let out a huff acting as if she hadn't just been kicking up a fuss of a baby animal "Let's go" she barked causing the three traveling with her to stare "Lady Tsunade at least let us ea.." Shikaku tried before being cut off "No now let's go" Tsunade orders again stalking off through the tree line.

"She woke up on the wrong side of her bedroll" Sakura sighed out irritated while quickly stashing her things in a sealing scroll and stuffing the scroll into her pack and taking off through the tree's after Tsunade who was already way ahead of them Shikaku and Inoichi rushing after the two females so that they wouldn't be left behind "It's about damn time" Tsunade yells at them without breaking her stride and they turn to look at the teen who shakes her head mouthing 'Don't ask' and they wisely keep silent as they finally enter the Land of Snow.

Slowing way down feeling the chakra ahead of them Sakura walks next to Shikaku while angrily muttering to her pocket where Sasuke was poking his out "If it hadn't been for you Lady Tsunade wouldn't be so angry and we would have gotten to eat breakfast you stupid kit" but Sasuke didn't understand because he was squeaking happily and licking her chin which of course caused Sakura to giggle out "Hey stop it that tickles" causing the two men to chuckle in amusement and Tsunade to slow her pace to a stop causing Sakura to smack right in to her.

"Maybe he isn't so bad I'm sorry for over-reacting brat" Tsunade reached down and plucked the tiny creature from Sakura's pocket and practically smothered him in her breasts you'd think Sasuke would squeak in alarm but oh no the little weasel was loving it and this caused Sakura to pout and grumble again "Damn kit just can't be satisfied with anything" while watching Tsunade hold Sasuke up in the air to get a better look at him "So where did you say you got him again and this time don't lie" Tsunade asks it appears he had been correctly named.

"You'll just get angry again and not believe me" Sakura called out before falling silent as men wearing samurai armor approach "I assume you Lady Tsunade Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village" one of them spoke and Tsunade nods her while handing Sasuke back to Sakura who quickly shoves him in her pocket "Only two of you may enter one has to stay out here" the other one had been watching and Tsunade quickly calls out "Inoichi you stay and keep watch Shikaku and Sakura can handle it" before walking quickly into the building where they are met with warmth.

"Ah Lady Hokage" Mifune approaches eyeing the small pink-haired girl that was standing next to Tsunade with some confusion before bowing "2 of the Kage are already here we are just waiting for the Kazekage and the Raikage" Mifune lists off before standing straight noticing that the girl was now eyeing him with equal curiosity he led the group to the meeting room "Mei-sama, Ohnoki-sama the Hokage Tsunade-sama has arrived" he announces before bowing out of the room "So what is it you've called this meeting for Tsunade-hime" Ohnoki pipes up from his seat while Tsunade sits down in hers.

"Let's wait until the other two Kage arrive before we begin this meeting" Tsunade responds tapping her nails on the desk in impatience 'This is why I wanted to wait a bit longer' she sighed almost breaking the desk with her strength "Sakura why don't you go explore I'm sure Mifune-san won't mind" she called out to the girl who was staring around in awe but as soon as Tsunade had addressed her Sakura stilled completely impressing the other two Kage with her ability to behave at her young age "I'm fine" Sakura calls back restraining herself from being nosey.

"I assure you, young lady I don't mind in fact I'm sure I could find something for you to do while we wait" Mifune comes back into the room hearing his name slip from Tsunade's mouth he was curious the moment he had met her Mifune had wanted to question the young girl who Tsunade had chosen as one of her escorts and a quick conversation with his underlings outside told him that she had chosen the youngest of her three escorts to stay with her while the blonde stayed outside to keep watch "Are you sure Mifune-san" Sakura asks.

It was apparent that she was still holding herself back and so Mifune nods and with a soft squeal Sakura quickly walked over to him read that as walked he had been expecting her to run not walk which told him that the girl was alot stronger than most would think at the first glance chuckles and soft feminine fill the conference room as he leads the girl from the room and down to his office for a quick interrogation when they reached his office he swiftly cleared off a chair before sitting in his own "Now Sakura-san" he starts.


	29. 5 Kage Summit Meeting Part 3

"Yes, Mifune-san" Sakura sits straight in her chair while gazing at him "Why did the Hokage choose you as one of her escorts" Mifune gets straight to the point causing Sakura to let out a small laugh "Ah well this meeting is kind of about me and what I asked Lady Tsunade" Sakura rubs the back of her head sheepishly before feeling the rapidly approaching familiar chakra of "Gaara" and almost runs from Mifune's office to greet the boy but Sakura had the grace to wait holding herself on the edge of her chair until Mifune gestured for her to follow him.

Meanwhile Mifune was thinking over Sakura's words as they walked through the halls 'What could cause the Hokage to call a 5 Kage Summit meeting' he thought bowing low to greet the Kazekage while Sakura did the same "Welcome Lord Kazekage" Mifune greets while Sakura practically attaches herself to the red-head "Gaara what are you doing here and is that Baki as the Kazekage" the pinkette speaks rapidly causing the one she was talking to, to pull her into a hug all while chuckling.

"When I heard that it was the Hokage who had called the meeting I was worried about you and I had to find out" Gaara admits while Sakura giggles "Silly I'm just fine" she ruffles his short hair before releasing the boy "If you'd follow me this way Baki-sama I'll take you and your escorts to the conference room" Mifune speaks up after watching all of this before whisking the three away Sakura trailing behind waiting outside the door a moment later Mifune reappears "So you said that you'd be able to find something for me to do" Sakura asks curiously aftera moment.

"Of course how good are you at chakra control" Mifune enquires smirking internally when the girl stares at him in surprise or was that a look of exasperation "I'm the best in my class of graduates and 1 of the three to graduate to chunin" Sakura reels off proudly "Ah I see and how good are you at using that tanto sword on your back" Mifune asks he had seen the sword and wondered how well Sakura could use it "Hehehe well I actually haven't trained with it yet" Sakura admits a little put out at the thought.

"How would you like to learn some sword techniques" he offers the corner of his lips tilting up when she holds back an extremely loud squeal "Of course it would only the best thing ever to learn from a true samurai warrior" Sakura claps her hands together excitedly and let's Mifune lead her to a training room "Ok Sakura-san I'm going to run you through several stances and I want you to repeat them back to me" Mifune orders pulling his own sword from it's sheath and settling into his favorite stance prompting Sakura to do the same flawlessly.

'Hmm it seems she has prior training' he thought interestedly "Sakura-san have you recieved any prior training" Mifune asks his eyebrows furrowing in surprise when she shakes her head no "Then how are you able to copy me perfectly there are no mistakes in your stance at all" Mifune calls out completely confused while Sakura pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the man "Ah well I'm a quick learner" she sums it up as best she can before straightening and waiting for the next order of instructions from her impromptu instructor.

For the next several hours Mifune ran Sakura through the literal ringer as he made her do all kind of stances or position her short sword this way or that way Mifune had just started teaching Sakura to push chakra into her sword to make it more deadly when they are called away apparently a fight had broken out between the Tsuchikage and temporary Kazekage and they were going to break it up pushing through the doors Sakura winces at the purpling bruise on Baki's face but doesn't walk over to him as the argument was still going on.

While this was going on Tsunade and Mei were watching in amusement and making no move to intervene and stop the fight "Lord Baki, Lord Ohnoki what is the problem if I may ask" Mifune steps forward chakra flowing off of him drawing the two fighting Kage's attention onto him "He insulted Gaara" Baki points an accusing finger at Ohnoki who smirks "Yes because you shouldn't have brought him here that boy has a demon within him and he could kill us all" Ohnoki crosses his arms as if his point had been made.

"Why you stu.." Baki was about to continue seething with anger when a light weight on his arm makes him pause "Sakura-san" he smiles pleasantly at the little girl "Baki-san your the Kazekage now you shouldn't let little things like that get to you besides we know the truth even Gaara knows the truth" Sakura speaks softly dissipating the tension in the room "Your right Sakura-san I'm sorry for reacting badly to your words Tsuchikage-sama I ask for your forgiveness" Baki bows his head causing the others to blink in surprise.

"Why, I, fine your forgiven for you transgressions agaist me the Tsuchikage" Ohnoki sits back in his chair and quiet follows once more "If there is nothing else" Mifune looks around before turning on his heel gesturing for Sakura to follow and exits the room "Would you like to learn that technique now" Mifune asks continuing on as if Kage's fighting between each other were a regular occurence for him "Of course Mifune-san" Sakura keeps pace with him easily and he wonders what else the girl was good at.

"Ok like I was explaining earlier you have to push your chakra into the blade" Mifune instructs showing Sakura first before letting her try it and as he had expected Sakura get's it right immediately what was odd though she didn't have the normal blue chakra instead her's was purple and it crackled like lightning with silver streaks swirling in it every so often mixing together "Did you know that your chakra was purple and silver" he asks suddenly making Sakura lose concentration and look up "Uh no that's the first time I've ever seen it like that before" she admits.

While she was talking to Mifune on the outside, Sakura was also talking to Inner 'Hey Inner what's the big idea why has the color of my chakra changed' Sakura calls out 'Your getting stronger' is all the girl says without appearing conversation over with Inner, Sakura pulls out of her thoughts and focuses on Mifune who after several minutes of being silent was speaking again "It's simply amazing I wonder if your Hokage would be opposed to letting you stay here and train under me" Mifune thought aloud causing Sakura to blink up at him in surprise.

"That's really up to Lady Tsunade" Sakura says reluctantly while scratching her head "You sounded a little reluctant there" Mifune scratches his beard while peering down at the girl in question "Well not that I'm opposed to being trained by you Mifune-san because it's an amazing offer it's just I already have someone I want to train me" Sakura admits with a soft smile "I see" Mifune frowns in thought "Come along I have to make my rounds outside" Mifune orders before leading Sakura from the room and outside.

-Meanwhile inside the Conference Room-

"That child is something else" Mei admits "I've only know her a few short months" Tsunade was quick to join the conversation "We've known Sakura for at least 6 months" Baki admits reluctantly when the two women look at him expectantly "Why is the brat so nice to you" Tsunade blurts out next "What are you talking about Lady Tsunade, Sakura-san has always been kind" Baki stares at her in confusion while Tsunade laughs "Your joking right sure she may act sweet but she's a brat through and through" the woman grumbles out.

"I think she just enjoy's riling you up Lady Tsunade" Baki teases "Your one of those people that she can be herself with" he admits a moment later causing Tsunade to blink in surprise but remain silent in thought "Wait a minute are we talking about Sakura Aburame" Zabuza appears adding himself into the conversation "Yes how do you know her" Tsunade swivels her head around to get a good look at the man "Oh she helped us out a while back" Zabuza shrugged not really elaborating.

"Wait a second Zabuza you mean that's the girl who helped you find Utakata and Gatou" Mei turned around in her seat "Yes" Zabuza answers simply "Was she.. how do I put this was she bratty back then" Tsunade asks leaning forward in her own chair "No in fact she was very helpful and polite" Zabuza finished before disappearing again leaving the rooms occupants wanting more information on the tiny girl that was somehow taking everyone by the storm even Tsunade who would deny it with every fiber of her being.

-Outside-

Mifune was watching Sakura who as scanning her surroundings with a keen perception and an alertness that older shinobi seemed to possess "Do you know your chakra nature" Mifune asks suddenly disturbing Sakura "Ah no I mostly just use my bug summons and taijutsu" Sakura finally says after a few minutes "Bug Summons" Mifune blinks in confusion "Yes plume moth summoning contract" Sakura sits down on a log after answering Mifune's question "How much control do you have over them" Mifune sits once he deemed the area safe while asking his next question.

"Well I've been training with them since I was 7 so a fair amount of control" Sakura thought for several minutes before answering "I have an idea why don't you send out one of your moths to search for Lord Raikage and give him this letter" Mifune pulls a letter out from underneath his armor while giving his suggestion to Sakura who hops up excited to help out "Of course Mifune-san do you want me to tell him to wait for Lord Raikage to send a letter back" Sakura asks thinking past the original suggestion.

"That's a brilliant idea Sakura-san" Mifune gives a smile of surprise while pulling out an extra sheet of paper before pausing "You said him" he asks confused "Oh that's right Tomo-kun" Sakura also pauses in the middle of her handsigns to answer before continuing on before swiping a bit of her blood on her palm and slamming it onto a tree "Plume Moth Summoning Jutsu" Sakura calls out and a poof of smoke "Sakura-sama" a slightly deeper voice calls out respectfully.

"Tomo did you get bigger again" Sakura asks in shock "I'm a growing moth Sakura-sama of course I've gotten bigger" the bug huffs out "Did you have a job for me Sakura-sama" Tomo asks "Ah yes Tomo-kun we need you to go find Lord Raikage and give him this letter also wait unless he wishes to write a response" Sakura orders while tying the letter and an extra sheet of paper around his body "What does Lord Raikage look like" Tomo asks when Sakura was finished who blushes in embarrasment.

"Ah well um what does Lord Raikage look like Mifune-san" Sakura mumbles before turning to the person who was there with her "Like this" Mifune holds up a picture of a dark-skinned man and small onyx eyes "I got it" Tomo announces after studying the picture before zooming off into the darkening sky "Do you think he'll be alright" Mifune asks in concern "Oh yeah Tomo-kun will be fine" Sakura nods "Well I suppose we should head in now it is getting quite dark" Mifune leads Sakura back to the building to get some rest.

-With Ay and his escorts-

"Hey boss why do you think the Hokage called a meeting" Darui rubbed his hands up and down his arms his teeth chattering together as the three of them huddled around a fire Cee had created "No idea if that woman doesn't have a valid reason then I'm leaving" came from Ay when "Lord Raikage we have company" Cee announces being a sensor type was definitely rewarding most of the time like now with those 5 words the three jump to their feet right as a bug the size of their heads comes flying into the clearing.

They were even more wary when the bug stops right in front of Ay "You are Raikage-sama correct" the bugs asks while Ay glares hard at him "Depends who's asking" Ay barks out "I'm sorry my name is Tomo and I have a letter for you from Mifune-sama" Tomo flies low if he had been human they would say he was bowing before landing on Ay's arm so that the man could relieve him of the letter once Ay had read the letter he peered curiously at Tomo not that he would admit it to anyone.

"I've never heard of Mifune having a contract with bugs" Ay asks distrust clear in his eyes "Oh no you've got it wrong Raikage-sama, I belong to Sakura-sama who is at the summit meeting as one of Lady Tsunade's escorts" Tomo responds still sitting on Ay's arm who was about to shake the nosey bug off "I've been requested to stay in the case you wished to write a response" Tomo pipes up when he notices this "I don't just tell Mifune we'll be there tomorrow" Ay growls out and Tomo flies off.

When Tomo got back it was much later than he anticipated but Sakura was waiting up for him "Sakura-sama, Lord Raikage will be here tomorrow he didn't specify what time just that he would be arriving tomorrow" Tomo huffs out exhausted from flying a long distance "Good work Tomo-kun" Sakura pats his fuzzy head a pleased expression on her face before releasing the summons so that he could go home 'I'll tell Mifune-san in the morning' Sakura thought with a yawn she almost layed down but then she remembered she still had to do her ritual.

Sneaking out wasn't easy especially with all of the samurai's patrolling the area but Sakura managed it only to sigh a moment later "Shikaku-san" she called softly and the man appeared from the shadows "Sakura-san are you heading out for your ritual" Shikaku had just caught her again and he was going to get more information out of Sakura this time "Yes, and also to talk to Lord Jashin" Sakura admits walking slowly headed for the clearing that she and Mifune had been in earlier that day.

"Here this will tell you everything you want to know Shikaku-san just please don't wig out and wake up Lady Tsunade when I don't wake up immediately" Sakura turns around suddenly biting her lip nervously while holding out a book for Shikaku to take "I understand" Shikaku takes the book before hopping into a tree to read it while thumbing through the pages and scanning the information Sakura jumps into a tree across from him and begins her ritual only she changes the prayer a bit before falling over in a faint like the other night.

-Jashin's Garden-

"Sakura" Jashin grins darkly at the pink-haired girl whispering her name as if it was poison having expected this Sakura sighs "I know your angry Lord Jashin it's just some harmless information besides at least he believes me" Sakura tried smiling but it comes out as a grimace mulling over Sakura's words Jashin nods before standing "Come there is something I must show you young acolyte" he orders leading the way through his garden of destruction "What is it Lord Jashin" Sakura asks in confusion but follows him nonetheless.

"Before humans existed God's walked the earth" Jashin began "I've been here for millions of years 5 years from now something is going to happen that will threaten this world and destroy it" he finished gesturing for Sakura to sit "Hidan knows this and that is why when you get back from this meeting he will ask your Leader to take you from the village for no more than 3 years to train you in everything he can so that you will be prepared for this threat" Jashin gives a heavy sigh he hated it when he had to be diplomatic.

Reverting back to God of Slaughter was much easier as Sakura digested the new information "I understand Lord Jashin" Sakura bows her head and nearly leaves when the reason she had come here pops back into her head "Oh Lord Jashin there are a couple of questions I'd like to ask" Sakura plops down on the ground in front of his throne while Jashin sat and chuckled darkly "You are an inquisitive child young acolyte for this I will answer any question you'd like" he smiled a sinister smile propping his head atop his fist.

"I never noticed before but now that it has been pointed out to me my chakra has changed colors why would it do that" Sakura reeled off quickly "Your chakra has changed colors because of your temporary immortality the more I give it to you and then take away the darker your chakra will become" Jashin explains "Oh well that makes sense" Sakura nods again before thinking about any other questions she'd like to ask when it becomes apparent her brain was drawing a blank she disappears from the garden.

Sitting up with a groan Sakura rubs her head sending healing chakra to her temples to rid herself of the headache that had formed looking around she found herself back in her bed and it was almost morning eyes widen 'Crap I must've really freaked out Shikaku-san' Sakura thought with a grimace throwing her covers to the side Sakura gives a small hiss at the cold floor before hurrying into the adjoining bathroom for a quick shower before exiting the bathroom.

Making sure her hair was secure in a towel Sakura dresses before drying her hair making sure that it was dry she braids her hair then wraps a piece of cloth at the end tying it off exiting the room she runs into Mifune who gives her a small smile quickly hurrying on his way "Oh Tomo-kun returned last night Lord Raikage send that he would be here sometime today he just didn't specify when" Sakura called out suddenly remembering that little information "Splendid" Mifune marvels as Sakura tags along seeing people stumbling out of their rooms with a yawn.

"I see your finally awake Sakura" Shikaku steps in front of the girl who had tried to give him a heart attack last night "Yeah it took longer than I thought" Sakura admits sheepishly when Shikaku stares her down "I'm sorry" she squeaks out before quickly walking down the hall to catch up with Mifune who had kept walking "Mifune-san do you mind if I practice my own jutsu's today" Sakura ducks under shelf when she almost walks into it "I don't mind I have things that need to get done today" Mifune glances down at her briefly.

"Ok thanks Mifune-san" Sakura skips off heading for the training room 'Today I will summon Rora' she thinks in determination while sitting on the ground "Summoning Jutsu" Sakura calls out slamming her palm down on the ground 'Nothing' Sakura's shoulders droop before trying again and again and well maybe tries later 'NOTHING' she screams in her mind gripping her hair in her hands and tugging "Why can't I summon Rora" Sakura pouted drawing a few chuckles from the samurai's training in the room.

"Did you just say Rora as in the plume moth" the tsuchikage followed by the other Kage's asks entering the room just in time to hear that name "Yeah but no matter what I do or how strong I become she just won't come for me, why do you ask Lord Tsuchikage" Sakura stands stretching "The last known holder of that particular summons was a woman named Yukina Kamizuru" Ohnoki sighs remembering the woman until she went over to the dark side "What happened to her" Sakura asks seeing the expression on the old man's face.

"Some say she gave birth to a demon her lover was the god of slaughter or something to that effect" Ohnoki's eyes cloud over in thought "Actually you look just like Yukina except for the fact you have pink hair and she had purple and your eyes are 3 shades lighter while Yukina had forest green eyes" he lists off from memory causing Sakura to pale at the description "Was her lover's name Jashin" Sakura gulps wincing slightly as Tsunade's neck snaps when the woman whips her head around to stare at her for uttering that name.

"Yeah that's what it was Jashin" Ohnoki remembers suddenly his voice trailing off as he leaves the room the others exiting the room as well 'INNER' Sakura yells slipping into Inner's world with ease 'Yes, Saku-chan' Inner appears looking different than she remembered 'Nevermind' Sakura sighed pulling herself out of her thoughts deciding she had practiced enough for the day she exits the room to head outside when she felt dizzy "Sakura-san, Sakura-san are you alright" a voice was calling to her but she couldn't reach it she just kept swimming.

A few minutes later Sakura comes to Tsunade was leaning over her "Lady Tsunade" she sits up with a groan "Are you alright" Tsunade was tempted to whack the girl over the head again "I'm fine I just think I was thinking to much" Sakura gave small laugh and smiled up at the blonde woman "Well I don't think anything is wrong because I checked and your perfectly fine just don't over do yourself" Tsunade orders before stalking out of the room standing Sakura sneaks out and heads into the forest well not that she was actively trying to hide because everyone knew she had left she just needed some alone time or otherwise she was going to go stir crazy.

Reaching the clearing Sakura lays down in the snow watching the clouds drift by 'I wonder how Shikamaru is doing' suddenly popped into her head 'Will he miss me' came after before Sakura let out a long deep sigh and then "Thinking about Shikamaru" Shikaku asks leaning against a tree watching the girl "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Sakur gives a shriek of surprise she had been so consumed in her thoughts that she had missed Shikaku sneaking up on her "Calm down didn't mean to startle you Sakura-san" Shikaku chuckles out.

"That wasn't funny Shikaku-san" Sakura scolds cutely her nose scrunching up causing Shikaku to chuckle even more "You should be more aware of your surrounds" Shikaku pats her head before sitting next to her on the ground and leaning back to watch the clouds "I used to do this all the time with Shikamaru in the academy during lunch" was said by Sakura several minutes later "I know Shikamaru wouldn't stop talking about you it was really adorable for a kid with zero motivation he sure could get motivated when he was talking about you" Shikaku says fondly thinking of the memories of when the kids were all so much younger and so much cuter than they were "Hehe" Sakura giggles out probably imagining the memory.

Shikaku and Sakura lay there for a while longer before "You really like Shikamaru don't you" Shikaku sighs out "Yes, Shikaku-san I really do" Sakura answers with a sigh of her own "Tell you what when we get back to the village I'll meet with Shibi and draw up an arranged marriage between our clans for you and Shikamaru" Shikaku offers and Sakura stares in surprise "I would like that" she admits shyly sitting up on her elbows to look at the much taller man before they both felt a large chakra headed their way the Raikage had just arrived.


	30. 5 Kage Summit Meeting Part 4

Hopping up from the ground Sakura hurries towards the building Shikaku already way ahead of her 'I really need to work on my speed' she thought briefly seeing a tall dark-skinned man that could only be the Raikage "If there isn't a valid reason for this meeting Mifune I'm leaving" he was yelling causing Sakura to let out a sigh and then "Squeak, squeak" came from her pocket "Oh Sasuke" Sakura exclaims pulling him out for a moment to cuddle him and then put him back in her pocket.

"AND WHO'S THE FREAKING BRAT" was yelled by Ay when Sakura was standing next to Mifune "Lord Raikage this is Sakura-san" Mifune introduces making the man pause "Your the one who sent that bug" Ay accuses suddenly a sneer on his lips as he stared down at Sakura with hard onyx eyes "That's right Raikage-sama" Sakura bows low further confusing Ay who hadn't been expecting someone so polite "Let's get this meeting over with" Ay snaps storming into the building without waiting for Mifune.

Sharing a quick glance with Shikaku who would be staying outside to keep watch Sakura hurries after the 4 men to take her place next to Inoichi holding herself still and breathing quietly as the rest of the Kage's take their seats "Now why have you called this meeting Tsunade-hime" the first one to talk was Ohnoki the other Kage's nodding their heads in agreement they all wanted to know why Tsunade had called this meeting and looking around Tsunade knew she couldn't hold it off for much longer.

"To start Uchiha Itachi has been removed from the bingo books as an S class criminal and has been re-instated as a Leaf Shinobi his innocence has been proven" Tsunade breathes out causing chaos to reign in the room "Impossible there is no way Itachi was innocent of the crimes he committed" Ay jumps up slamming his fist down on the desk smashing a hole in the center "It's true he was under orders from Danzou Shimura" Tsunade slams her hands down on her own desk her honey brown eyes glaring at Ay.

"Let's calm down Raikage-sama, Hokage-sama" Mifune intervenes hoping to avoid the destruction of any more inanimate objects with a huff both Kage's sit down but it was clear that neither had let it go "Why would Danzou order Itachi to kill his own clan" Mei speaks up "The Uchiha clan was planning a Coup De Ta and Danzou saw it as his chance to obtain the Sharigan for himself" Tsunade sighs out running her hand through her blonde locks "He was a traitor" Baki calls out anger radiating through him.

"Yes, but he has been taken care of" Tsunade answers nonchalantly "And everything he has done will serve to remind us that we need to keep better watch over our own villages" Tsunade glares around daring them to object with her "Who killed him" Mei asks curiously Tsunade hadn't mentioned it for a reason obviously but it was getting to her "The Rain Village" the blonde woman answers next drawing angry exclamations from the other Kage's "You'd ally yourself with those..." Ohnoki trails off when Tsunade stands.

"I hate to admit this but Danzou has interfered with many things such as a treaty between the Leaf and Stone that man was the reason Akatsuki rose in the first place" she snaps angrily "Are you saying that Danzou was the reason behind the loss of our treaty" Ohnoki yells out also standing only his chair "Yes, Inoichi here searched through Danzou's memories before he was taken away by the Leader of the Rain Village" Tsunade nods sitting back down Ohnoki doing the same as tension runs high in the room.

"If that man wasn't already dead I'd kill him myself, wait did you say he was the reason Akatsuki rose in the first place" Ohnoki announces before the rest of what Tsunade said hit him quite suddenly "Yes, he collaborated with Hanzou" Tsunade lowers her head in remembrance of the three orphans Jiraiya had stayed behind to train "Jiraiya's students three orphans from Ame had created an organization called Akatsuki but their goals back then were much different" Tsunade sighs out.

"Danzou had heard about them and hatched a plan with Hanzou which ended up with one of the 3 getting killed and that created the new Akatsuki" Tsunade finishes explaining sadness in her eyes "5 days ago the Leader of the Akatsuki came to me with the rest of his organization with a request to get his revenge" Tsunade continues anger sparking to life in her honey brown eyes "After he left with his partner I figured that would be the last we'd ever hear of them" Tsunade barks out a laugh exasperation heard clearly.

"However I was proven wrong when the next morning Itachi Uchiha appeared in my office with a letter from the Leader" Tsunade rolls her eyes while pulling out the letter and passing it around when it comes back to her she sets it down while waiting for someone to say something "The Akatsuki are no longer a threat to us" Baki the first one to speak asks his eyes wide "That's correct" Tsunade nods waiting for it to click what she was hinting at "You want to integrate the remaining members into your village" Ay jumps up with a snarl.

With the Raikage's accusation silence fills the room it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop and then "Yes on the request of one of my shinobi" Tsunade gives the man a smirk "ABSOLUTELY NOT" Ay snarls with a sneer "Those bastards will be put to death no trial" Ohnoki is the next to add his input into the conversation Mei and Baki the only ones not jumping into the argument having a good idea who it was that had given the request when "Raikage-sama, Tsuchikage-sama" a voice calls and all eyes turn to land on Sakura.


	31. 5 Kage Summit Meeting Part 5 The End

"I know that I have no right to insert myself into this conversation" Sakura continues on with a low bow at the ones she had addressed "Your only thinking of the negatives, have you ever thought about how we could utilize their strengths for the benifit of the ninja world I know they are International criminals but they could help us with taking out threats in the near future" she finishes before blinking rapidly "Why do you feel so strongly about them Sakura-san" Mifune asks curiously when it appears she would say nothing else only to be taken a back.

Sakura had dropped her head in shame but when she raised it her eyes were glittering with tears "Their special to me especially Itachi-san and Hidan-san" Sakura smiles sadly she couldn't really explain her exact reasoning for wanting to keep them close it's just whenever she thought of them being put to death her heart ached and she felt sick "Why are they so special" Ay asks with a sneer wondering how someone could ever defend those people Ohnoki nodding along also wondering why the two wait for several minutes before Sakura finally answers their question with a soft laugh.

"I'm not exactly sure but I know that whenever I think of them being put to death my heart aches and I feel sick" Sakura smiles bitterly 'PTSD' the word rings out in Tsunade's mind and if they hadn't been in the middle of a meeting she would have reached forward and pulled the girl into a hug apparently Baki was thinking along the same line because Tsunade saw him shift in his seat and his hands twitch slightly a thud draws her attention onto the Raikage he had sat back in his seat pure bewilderment etched onto his face.

'Why' Ay thought staring at the little pink-haired girl 'They have her under their jutsu' he thought next 'No that's impossible otherwise Tsunade wouldn't have called the meeting' Ay rubbed a hand down his face causing Darui and Cee to share a look "Your certain that the Akatsuki can be reformed into useful shinobi" Ay finally spoke after getting over his shock "Yes that's the whole point of this meeting" Tsunade pressed her lips together in anger "Then fine you have 5 years to integrate them into your village" Ay proposes suddenly causing Tsunade to stare at him in surprise.

"Finally we are getting somewhere" Tsunade huffs out while secretly she was sighing in relief 'Oh thank god Sakura came in handy I'm sure if she hadn't been here this probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly' she thought outwardly keeping calm only to be shocked again when "I'd like to request Sakura train under me for two months" Mifune speaks up suddenly drawing a soft gasp from the girl herself "I'm afraid that's not possible Hidan has approached me and wishes to take her out of the village to train for 3 years" Tsunade shakes her head all while shrugging.

"Then perhaps on the 3 year training excursion the two can visit here" Mifune suggests noticing the interest in Sakura's eyes, looking back Tsunade notices this as well "Very well make sure to remember to tell that to Hidan" Tsunade glares softly at the girl who nods once "Anything else" Tsunade asks already knowing that chaos was about to reign again Baki catching on quickly speaks next "I request that Sakura-san come spend 2 months in my village" looking at Gaara it was clear he fully supported this request "Fine" Tsunade slides down into her chair with a mumbled sigh.

Instead of drawing this out any longer Ay smirks "Let's settle this instead of drawing this out any longer I propose that the girl stay 2 months in each of our villages" Ay calls out getting a nod from the other Kage's who had yet to talk "Alright geez" Tsunade slams her head on the desk and everyone winces at the loud crack that follows a few seconds later mumbled cursing follows and followed by muttered laughing which becomes clearer as Tsunade raises her head causing others to stare at her warily because she was smirking like a crazy person.

Having heard of the Hokage's famous temper Baki wisely keeps silent "If Sakura has to stay in each of your villages for 2 months during those two months at least one shinobi from each of your villages go to the Hidden Rain and help them rebuild the village" Tsunade gives a little grin waiting for them to start complaining about her own request "I don't see a problem with that" Baki is the first to speak again nodding in acquiesce with that the other Kage's agree a couple rather reluctantly and with that the meeting finally came to an end.

The first thing Tsunade did when she stood from her seat was grab Sakura and hug her "Lady Tsunade" Sakura mumbles feeling slightly squished "Sasuke's death really traumatized you didn't it" Tsunade whispers into the top of Sakura's head feeling her nod Tsunade pulls Sakura back to look at her "What do you say we stay here for a few more days and then make the trip back home" she tries to lighten the solemn mood "Yeah that'd be cool Lady Tsunade besides I'm in no hurry to leave the village just yet" Sakura answers sheepishly with a small smile.

"Yes lets not hurry" Tsunade scowls exiting the room holding Sakura next to her drawing a few eyes from the other Kage's who had gathered outside the door "Glad to see you two finally getting along" Shikaku teases with a chuckle causing Tsunade to take a large step away from Sakura with an even bigger scowl on her lips "Mifune-san do you mind if we stay for a few days" Tsunade asks looking everywhere but Sakura "Of course" Mifune nods this prompts the other Kage's to request the same each of them wanting to know more about the girl Sakura.


	32. Farewell Vacation Days

The meeting had ran pretty late into the day so instead of staying up any longer the enlarged group went to bed except for Sakura who sneaks off to do her nightly ritual under the watchful eye of Shikaku when she came to Shikaku was staring at her and it made Sakura feel slightly self conscious "What is it Shikaku-san" she mumbles sitting up on her branch "Why do you pass out like that" he asks suddenly "Oh well when your a jashinist pain doesn't affect you instead it turns into pleasure" Sakura squeaks out blushing heavily at the admittance.

Eyes wide Shikaku grimaces 'I wish I hadn't of asked' he thought briefly "Come on Sakura" he sighs softly gesturing for Sakura to follow him as they head back to their rooms though laying in bed Sakura couldn't sleep to many thoughts were keeping her awake such as 'Am I really going to get married to Shikamaru' or 'When will I find out who I really am' and then 'STOP THINKING YOUR GIVING ME A FREAKING HEADACHE SAKU-CHAN' Inner yells from somewhere in her mind causing Sakura to wince at the volume but stop thinking and drift off into sleep.

When she woke the next morning Tsunade was leaning over her a scowl on her lips and Sasuke in her hand "Sakura if you don't keep this little brat under control" Tsunade threatened warningly putting Sasuke on the bed before glaring and stalking out of her room the minute the door shut Sakura couldn't help but let out giggles while dressing for the day "Sasuke you shouldn't bother Lady Tsunad she might squish you one of these days" Sakura scolds the ferret in her pocket while exiting her room.

Baki who had been walking by at the time pauses in confusion "I thought Sasuke was dead" he furrows his brows "Oh I named my pet ferret Sasuke because of their similarities" Sakura answers quickly this causes Baki to chuckle but pat her head and carry on his way "Where's Gaara" came next "Around here somewhere I'm sure you'll find him" he calls back turning down a hallway while Sakura searched for the red-head's chakra finding it a few floors down Sakura quickly heads in his direction.

One floor away Sakura runs into a giant road block Ay was standing in front of the door way his two escorts stood behind him while he argued with one of Mifune's underlings "What do you mean he's busy there is no possible way that Mifune is busy" Ay was ranting and raving apparently he wanted to speak with Mifune but Mifune wasn't in his office Darui who sighed turned at that moment and spotted her "Oh Morning Sakura-san" he grins politely at the young girl who smiles back.

Hearing Darui greet Sakura, Ay stops his argument and swings around this causes his two men and Sakura to back up in order to avoid being knocked down sneering Ay "About time you woke up" he snaps causing Sakura to grin widely and raise her hands "Sorry Raikage-sama" she bows her head offering no excuses, seeing the dumbfounded expression on Ay's face Darui and Cee back up knowing what was coming "You damn brat" and as expected slams his hand down on her head well tries to if it hadn't been for sand coming up to protect her.

"Sorry I didn't mean to sound so disrespectful" Sakura back-pedals eyes wide in horror this was so not how she imagined the Raikage being in fact her image of him had just been shattered "What the hell" Ay hadn't payed attention to word she said instead he was staring at the sand that stopped his hand "Ah sorry Raikage-sama, Gaara gave that to me and I'm afraid that it just comes up and protects me" Sakura explains all the while glaring at the sand on her wrist causing Darui and Cee to start chuckling.

Pulling his hand away Ay glares down at Sakura "Don't get smart with me next time brat" he snaps and stalks past her Cee following while Darui gave a small wave while Sakura turned down the hall and continued on her way entering the training room Sakura finds Gaara deep into a training session with Temari and so she sits leaning against a pole to watch the impromptu match several minutes later Gaara is deemed the winner as Temari falls over in exhaustion causing Sakura to laugh at her antics.

"Ahahaha" Sakura laughs drawing attention from the two and secretly everyone else in the room "Yeah laugh it up pinky" Temari huffs out pulling herself to her feet and trudging over to plop down next to Sakura while Gaara walks over and sits down as close as possible which meant that he was touching her not that Sakura minded it because she flashed him a smile which Gaara returned hesitantly "You fainted" Gaara frowns at her he finally had the chance to confront her about what he had heard.

"Ah I was just overthinking that's all Gaara" Sakura smiles reassuringly causing Gaara to sigh "If you say so" he examines her closely before deeming her alright before scooting even closer if it was possible before anyone could say anything else Ohnoki and Mei come into the room and spying the trio of youngins Ohnoki's mouth drops open in shock "What is going on" he asks utterly shocked causing the three to turn around and stare at him in confusion seeing his expression Sakura's eyes narrow in defense.

"Lord Tsuchikage no offense but you really shouldn't judge someone based on a few rumors you heard" Sakura snips out falling just short of rude before turning back around making a show of taking Gaara's hand and holding it just to prove that Gaara wasn't the same person he had been all those months ago seeing this Ohnoki swallows his pride "I can see that I was wrong" he apologizes just that once and Sakura turns back around a sweet smile on her lips "It's ok Lord Tsuchikage" Sakura nods releasing Gaara's hand and standing.

Smiling mischievously Mei prances over to stand in front of Sakura "So Sakura-san are you in a relationship with Gaara-san" she asks nonchalantly causing Sakura to choke on air "Ah no Mizukage-sama, Gaara is like a brother to me" Sakura coughs out rubbing her throat "Hmm" Mei gives a grin "But there is someone you like" she finally says which causes Sakura to blush "Yes there is someone in my village his name is" here she is cut off by Temari "Shikamaru Nara the guy with zero motivation" the blonde giggles out causing Sakura's blush to darken.

"Does everyone know who I like" Sakura suddenly stands throwing her arms up in the air exasperated no real heat behind the words and leaves the room chuckles following her as she heads outside and to the clearing she had been in several times sitting on the snow covered ground Sakura leans back and suddenly finds herself cloud watching again 'Everytime I don't want to think my mind brings up Shikamaru' she sighed to herself a few hours later Ay, Darui and Cee stumble across her napping form.

"Stupid kid" Ay snaps glaring down at her but regardless he settles against a tree Darui and Cee following him as they watch the girl a moment later Shikaku drops down from a tree "So she wasn't alone afterall" Ay smirks "She fell asleep after I got here" Shikaku sits next to Sakura while explaining "Why so protective" Darui asks suddenly "She's my son's well going to be my son's fiance" Shikaku shrugs "You'd marry your own kid to her" Ay asks he seriously wondered about the sanity of Leaf Shinobi "Yeah" Shikaku shrugs again un-concerned.

"It's not like Shikaku-san would be forcing him" Sakura responds without opening her eyes "Why do you say that Sakura-san" Cee asks this being the first time he had spoken to Sakura "Because he likes her and I'd be hard pressed to find someone else to marry my son to" Shikaku answers this time eyeing Sakura with something akin to amusement in his gaze "You Nara's" Sakura huffs finally opening her emerald green eyes "With you as his wife Shikamaru wouldn't find time to be lazy" Shikaku points out.

"Are you saying I'm a nag Shikaku-san" Sakura asks exasperated "No just that you'd find a way to make him motivated to do things like say talk about you all day" Shikaku smirks causing Sakura to blush bright cherry red "Your incorrigible Shikaku-san" Sakura throws her hands up heaving a great big sigh "Well at least this gives you sometime to get use to me" Shikaku shrugs nonchalantly "Actually probably as soon as we get back to the village I'll be leaving with Hidan to train for 3 years" Sakura turns her head to look at him.

"So we have a few weeks to set up the arranged marriage" Shikaku answers "True how do you think Shikamaru will take it" Sakura asks closing her eyes again "He'll probably just say troublesome but go along with it since it's you" Shikaku takes a moment to responds and sums Shikamaru up perfectly "Agreed" Sakura lets out a laugh "So Sakura-san what is it that your good at" Cee asks when there is a lull in the two Leaf Shinobi's conversation "You mean ability wise" Sakura asks her eyes popping open again.

Before she could answer the other Kage's minus Baki and Tsunade who were having tea in the lunchroom appear having been eavesdropping on the conversation thus far and were eager to find out more about Sakura "That's right Sakura-san" Cee nods "Well I have amazing chakra control" Sakura lists "I can summon a horde of poisonous plume moths and I can also summon Tomo-kun" she ticks off "I can heal as well as Lady Tsunade minus the strength" Sakura laughs shocking the others.

"What's your chakra nature" Ohnoki asks eyeing her curiously "I have no idea" Sakura rubs the back of her head sheepishly "Don't you want to know" Mei asks next "Eh it will come up eventually besides I'd like to hone my other abilities first" Sakura nods slowly but finishes explaining "I'm a good tracker almost as good as an Inuzuka" she finishes with her rather short list but it's enough for the people in the clearing to understand that this girl was a prodigy in her village.

That's how the next couple of weeks are spent and soon Tsunade was saying it was time to go only this time Tsunade wasn't angry about Sakura waking her up and so when they headed out late in the evening they had to make camp "You think you'll be alright to keep watch Sakura" Tsunade asks laying out her bedroll when Sakura jumps into a tree "Of course Lady Tsunade" Sakura calls down to her 20 minutes later the adults were asleep and Sakura gives a sigh of relief she was going to do a special ritual tonight.

Forming a few handsigns Sakura creates a genjutsu to cover the three and heads off into the dead of night they had been followed by someone and by the feel of the persons chakra he or she wasn't friendly so with a quick prayer she jumped down behind the person identifying them as a male "Heathen your a pathetic tracker" Sakura hisses in his ear causing the man to freeze he hadn't been expecting someone to find him so soon not willing to be intimidated he turns around and bursts out laughing.

Slamming her pike into the ground and resting her body on it Sakura glares at the man who dared laugh at her "Aww your so cute kid now beat it" and now he was mocking her "I wouldn't mock me if I were you" Sakura snarls at him her lip lifting up in a sneer while her eyes grew dark in anger feeling the killing intent wafting off the girl 'Maybe it wasn't a good idea to antagonize this girl' Kenshi thought as he backs up into a tree Sakura following him preventing him from escaping.

The man lets out a yelp when Sakura slashes his cheek with her kunai breathing rapidly Kenshi watches as Sakura stabs herself with the pike and makes a symbol on the ground in her blood "What are you doing" he stutters out in fear "Today's your fucking lucky day heathen because you get to meet my Lord Jashin" Sakura smirks emerald eyes glinting in the darkness licking his blood of her kunai Kenshi watches as her skin turns black and white markings appear on her face as she sits in the circle with an upside down triangle.

He watches in horror as she raises the kunai to her wrist and slashes it pulling a scream of agony from his lips "Why are you here" Sakura pauses to ask her question "I was hired to assassinate the Hokage on her way back to the village" Kenshi answers quickly only to whimper as Sakura slashes her other wrist "Who sent you" she asks "Orochimaru" Kenshi gulps seeing the fury in Sakura's eyes "I can't let you live now" Sakura hisses preparing to raise her kunai again when Kenshi calls out.

"Wait I'll do anything" he cries just as two others drop into the clearing "Sakura-san" Inoichi calls out shocked at what he was seeing "Inoichi-san, Shikaku-san he was sent here to assassinate Lady Tsunade" Sakura gestures stabbing her kunai into the ground "It's a good thing she is deep asleep" Shikaku pipes up in the following silence "What exactly are you doing Sakura-san" Inoichi asks curiously seeing the man's expression it was apparent that it wasn't something normal.

Like he had come to expect from Sakura in the past few weeks her answer was weird "It's the sacrifice ritual we can't afford to bring him back to the village with us and I sure as hell am not letting him get any where near Lady Tsunade" Sakura hisses killing intent flowing off of her in waves the more she said "Orochimaru sent him, Orochimaru was also the bastard who killed Sasuke" she snarls standing in her circle pure hatred in her voice as she mentions the snake summoner Inoichi cringes wondering where she'd learned that type of language.

Not willing to ask Inoichi leans back against a tree while peering at Shikaku who looked pretty used to this "Shikaku" he whispers "Yeah I've seen her do another ritual just not this one" Shikaku calls back settling against his own tree to watch, conversation over for now Sakura lets gravity do it's work and she falls back onto the ground jarring her wrists and a pained hiss from the man backed into a tree a few feet ahead of her which causes Sakura to smirk "It's gonna hurt a lot more than that" she laughs immersed in the ritual.

Deciding to draw it out just a bit longer Sakura trails the kunai up her arm breaking the skin and drawing another pained hiss from Kenshi switching hands she does the same with her other arm the pained hiss turning into a whimper smirking Sakura switches tactics and slams the kunai into her knee cap drawing a scream "Music to my ears" Sakura smiles yanking the kunai out harshly causing Inoichi to cringe 'That's not the same girl' he thought if only he knew how wrong he was Sakura was being herself in front of him for the first time.

Screams were torn continuously from Kenshi for the next half hour until Sakura felt it was enough to get her point across before raising the kunai one final time placing it right above her heart and the two men share a look of horror 'She'd kill herself to protect the Hokage' Shikaku thought and Inoichi well he really didn't know what to think as Sakura rammed the kunai into her heart all the way to the hilt all was still as both participants in the ritual slump over dead and then a few minutes later a groan comes from Sakura.

They watch as Sakura sits up somehow still alive and glowing purple with silver and yanks the kunai out of her chest the wounds fading and the blood drying up removing all traces of her ritual "Sakura how are you alive" Inoichi holds himself back from running over to the girl "Jashin gave me temporary immortality that's what that chakra was" Sakura huffs finally standing up and glaring at the dead body before wiping her kunai off on her pants "That makes 3 right Sakura" Shikaku asks nose buried in a book now that it was over they head back.

The next morning no one mentions what happened last night as the four sit around a fire and eat breakfast that Sakura had gathered "Mmm I might have to make you my personal chef" Tsunade mumbles around a bite of rabbit "Lady Tsunade" Sakura laughs lightly nothing like how she had been last night "Your a good cook" Tsunade huffs wiping her mouth with a handkerchief "There are better cooks" Sakura mumbles shyly finishing off her stick of cooked rabbit meat standing as the adults get rid of any evidence that they had been there preventing anyone from following them.

"Let's go" Tsunade orders taking off at a quickened pace they all wanted to get home none more so than Sakura several hours later they make camp again this time Sakura just does her regular ritual before going to sleep and then the next day they clean up and take off a few hours later they see the Gates of the Hidden Leaf Village in the distance and pick up speed so they could rest in their own beds crossing into the village Sakura stretches gazing around all while thinking to herself Inner agreeing as she thought 'Home Sweet Home.'


	33. Contracts and Saying Farewell Part 1

The first thing Shikaku does is head straight to the Aburame compound seeking out Shibi and finding him in his office "Shibi what would you say to an arranged marriage between Shikamaru and Sakura" Shikaku asks leaning against the doorway watching in amusement as Shibi's head snaps up "What" Shibi hisses out glaring at the scarred man from behind his sunglasses "An arranged marriage" Shikaku asks nonchalantly while staring around Shibi's office "I didn't hear you just ask that Shikaku-san" Shibi snaps angrily before dismissing the man.

Confused at the hostility Shibi was giving him Shikaku tries another tactic "What if I told you this was something Sakura wanted" Shikaku watches Shibi closely "I mean weren't you going to arrange a marriage for her anyway" Shikaku continues 'Aha got him' Shibi had just twitched "What are you getting at Nara" Shibi looks up again "I think Sakura would truly be happy if you let this arranged marriage happen" Shikaku sighs finally "Fine we'll set up details tomorrow now please show yourself out Nara" Shibi snaps and Shikaku hightails it out of the Aburame Compound.

Meanwhile Sakura had found Hidan and attached herself to his side with a happy squeal "Hey fucking bitch I take it the blonde told you about the 3 year training excursion we'll be going on" Hidan curses with a grin "Of fucking course" Sakura gives a cheer "Your a bad influence on her" Kisame speaks up finished with his spar "Hey I didn't teach that fucking shit to her she already had that damn mouth before I fucking met her fishface" Hidan swings around violet eyes narrowed in anger.

"Point taken" Kisame grimaces before walking away to challenge Itachi to another spar well he would have if it hadn't been for Kakashi appearing in his path "Those of the disbanded Akatsuki are wanted in the Hokage's office" he addresses them before poofing away in a puff of smoke "You should start going round telling people about the training excursion" Hidan peers down at his apprentice before following Kisame towards the Hokage Tower while Sakura freezes in realisation 'Oh my god Naruto would have a conniption fit if I didn't tell him about this' she thought worriedly before quickly locating said persons chakra and speedin off in his direction.

Seeing Naruto, Sakura calls out to him trying to slow down but she was going so fast that she slammed right into Naruto with a sickening thud "Owwwwwwwww Sakura-chan what the heck was that for" Naruto whines rubbing his forehead that was quickly forming a black bruise she had cracked his forehead with her own Sakura sits back on her knees with a grimace "I'm sorry Naruto was going to fast I have something to tell you" she holds her hand filled with healing chakra to his forehead and quickly heals the crack "What's that Sakura-chan and geez you have a hard forehead you know" Naruto let out a chuckle.

"I'll be going out of the village with Hidan on a 3 year training expedition isn't that cool Naruto" Sakura's eyes brighten and twinkle "That's cool pervy sage is gonna take me out of the village as well hey maybe we'll meet each other while out there" Naruto waves his arms excitedly glad to have someone to share his news to "Awesome-sauce" Sakura hops up pulling Naruto up with her "Well I've got a lot more people to tell so I'll see you later Naruto" Sakura gives hims a wave and speeds off looking for anyone she might now so that she could share her news with them.

"Anko-sensei" Sakura yells spotting the purple haired woman as she was about to enter the tea shop she frequented often "Pinky have you come to join me for tea and dango's" Anko calls out to Sakura gesturing for the girl to join her "Sure I have something to tell you why not over tea" Sakura shrugs taking her place next to Anko and entering the tea shop together looking for an empty table and finally spotting one at the back of the restuarant Anko places their order before facing Sakura "You said you had some news for me" she asks.

"Yeah Anko-sensei I'm sure you've heard the news from Lady Tsunade about the Akatsuki being disbanded and the members being intregrated into the village" Sakura asks first "Yea was at the meeting earlier pinky so what exactly are you getting at" Anko stares at Sakura in confusion "Well Hidan is taking me out of the village for 3 years to train" Sakura announces "Ah well train hard and get strong Sakura" Anko stares at her student with pride in her eyes "Thank you Anko-sensei I'll be heading home now" Sakura waves and leaves without eating it was hard saying goodbye.

Heading home Sakura waves to people here and there getting a small smile back from a few before she gets to the forest walking along the well worn path to the Aburame Compound Sakura reminisces about her memories of this path and the first time she ever walked down it before she finally reaches the door and entering the foyer she is greeted by Keiko "Welcome home Sakura-sama, Shino is still out training and Shibi-sama is still working on some paperwork in his office so it will just be you tonight at dinner" the older woman explains quickly to Sakura.

"Oh that's ok Keiko-san I think I'll just head to bed early I'm not very hungry" Sakura says looking forlorn "Is everything alright Sakura-sama" Keiko furrows her eyebrows in concern "Oh well I'm going on a 3 year training expidition outside the village in a few days it's not easy say goodbye to people" Sakura sighs tiredly trudging up the stairs and into her room while Keiko watched her pulling open her door Sakura throws her sandals off and pads across her room barefoot to curl up on her bed a few minutes later Sakura was out for the count.


	34. Contract Signed & Saying Farewell Part 2

When Sakura woke up the next morning and into the dining hall she expected to see both her male family members but she only got "Shino" apparently he had missed her and as soon as the boy had seen her Shino let his rare affectionate side come out by pulling Sakura into a side hug "Good Morning Imouto-chan" Shino greeted "What's going on Shino you haven't called me that in ages" Sakura asked once he had released her "Dad has gone to set up a Marriage Contract between us and the Nara's for you and Shikamaru" Shino says with barely concealed anger.

'Ah so that's why he's being protective' Sakura laughs internally but outwardly doesn't say anything and sits down at the table to eat breakfast meanwhile in a conference room somewhere in the Aburame Compound were Shibi, Shikaku and his wife Yoshino and by the looks of the arguing adults things weren't going well "Be reasonable" Yoshino snaps 'Of all the men and their stupid prides' she sighs internally "If Shikamaru-san is going to marry Sakura he has to prove himself" Shibi said again.

"Do you think that would really make Sakura happy" Shikaku asks seriously causing Shibi to deflate in his argument and relent "Ok let's move onto the next topic before any more arguing takes place" Yoshino says 'I'm glad I had a son' was all that was going through her head "What should we put as for when they get married" Shikaku asks "18 or anytime after that if they see fit I'm not going to force them to marry at a certain time" Shibi says clenching his pencil tightly in his hand almost snapping it with the force he was holding it with.

"That's fine now it comes down to the hard part who will carry whose name" Shikaku asks watching Shibi for the argument to come but he was severly disappointed when the man says nothing and then "I think she would be happy carrying his last name" Shibi grinds out between his clenched teeth "There you go with that this marriage contract meeting comes to an end now you should go see Sakura before she leaves for the day" Shikaku says quickly grabbing Yoshino's hand and teleporting away.

Heading out of the room "Keiko send Sakura to my office when she is finished eating" he orders Keiko before continuing onto his office to get started on even more paperwork back in the dining hall "Hey Shino, I don't know how to tell you this so I'm just going to come out with it I'm leaving the village on a 3 year training expedition" Sakura had pushed her plate away and blurted this out all in one breath "Your leaving" Shino asks mid bite "For 3 years" Sakura grimaces while trying to smile "I promise to get you a souvenir" Sakura waves fleeing the room.

Right outside the door Sakura nearly slams into Keiko "Oh Sakura-sama your father wants to see you in his office" Keiko laughs when the girl sprints down the halls "You wanted to see me dad" Sakura flings open his office door panting "When I said I wanted to see you it didn't mean you had to run" Shibi chuckles in amusement as Sakura sits gracefully in a chair "As for why I called you here the Marriage Contract between you, Sakura and Shikamaru has been signed" Shibi explains "Oh really" Sakura smiles brightly her eyes wide and full of happiness.

'I guess Shikaku wasn't lying when he said that Sakura likes Shikamaru' Shibi smiles internally "Yes, and when you turn 18 you have anytime before you turn 21 to get married to him I'm sure Shikaku is explaining this to Shikamaru right now" Shibi nods and Sakura gives a happy squeal "Oooohhh I can't wait I have to tell him oooh" and just like that her good mood dissipates leaving Shibi to wonder what was wrong with his daughter "Dad there is something I have to tell you" Sakura sighs sounding years older than she really was.

"What is it Sakura" Shibi's narrows his eyes in concern behind his sunglasses "You know about how the Akatsuki disbanded right" Sakura asks instead and Shibi nods his head "Of course Sakura" he answers oh he had heard all about his daughters involvement in getting the Akatsuki to disband and while he was on one hand happy and proud he was on the other hand disappointed "Well Hidan is taking me out of the village for a 3 year training expedition" Sakura frowns feeling Shibi's stare as she tells him her announcement.

He was about to scold her for this and go to the Hokage and demand that Sakura be confined to the village but something in Sakura's emerald eyes and in the way Sakura spoke caused him to pause "Sakura, I can't tell you how much I'll miss you but I know that when you return you'll be strong" while saying this he had stood and come around his desk to stand next to Sakura and then he pulled the teen into his arms to give her a comforting hug "Thanks dad" Sakura digs her head into his coat and cries softly leaving wet stains behind when Shibi finally releases her.

"Your welcome now I suggest you start telling people you'll be leaving for a long while" he gives her a small smile and a pat on the head before ushering her out of his office "Later dad" Sakura calls over her shoulder before walking down the halls to leave the Aburame compound while Sakura had been talking to her dad Shikaku had been hunting his own child down and found him napping in a field of wildflowers "Hey boy wake up" Shikaku gruffly orders while none to gently nudges the boy with his foot.

Eyes snapping open Shikamaru glares at his dad "What Dad" Shikamaru yawns covering his mouth with a hand "I just got finished setting up a marriage contract for you" Shikaku says sitting down while Shikamaru jumps up "I've already told you dad that I'm not marrying anyone but" Shikamaru yells and in sync with his dad finishes "Sakura" taking this as his dad mocking him Shikamaru prepares to leave the field "Sit down I haven't told you who your marrying" Shikaku orders him.

"Now while I was gone I had an idea what if I made up a marriage contract for you before the Clan Elders started ordering us to find you a wife most children would already have that in place by the time they are born" Shikaku explains and Shikamaru nods he had heard all of this before "Well I met with this girls father and now it's all set up" Shikaku continues "Your officially in an arranged marriage with Sakura" he finishes with a smirk before Shikamaru could jump up in anger again.

Faltering in his movements Shikamaru falls back on his behind to stare at his dad "You mean that I'm really going to be with Sakura" Shikamaru jumps up quickly in a move totally unlike himself "Yes, now settle down before you hurt yourself" Shikaku teases causing Shikamaru to flush red 'Sakura is just who he needs to get motivated' Shikaku nods "Well I have work to do so see you later at home" he says and then in the next moment Shikaku was gone 'I've got to go find Sakura' Shikamaru thought trying to locate her chakra.

Meanwhile Sakura was going around the village and memorizing certain aspects of it she didn't want to forget anything 'I suppose I should start telling people' she thought with a sigh while wandering around she had almost passed by the Yamanaka flower shop when Ino came speeding out and crashed into her "Hey Foreh...Sakura" Ino had almost called her that atrocious nickname but changed it to her name instead "Hello Ino-san" Sakura stood up rubbing her arm that had scraped the ground.

'Ok so she still hates me' Ino frowned "Look I just wanted to apologize to you for everything" Ino tried but by the look on Sakura's face that wasn't going to cut it "Alright I understand I was a complete bitch to you from day one Sakura and it didn't help that I antagonized you and made your academy days hell" Ino sighed out frustrated but she was far from done "But didn't you tell me that I needed to start acting like a shinobi and that means putting past differences behind us" Ino waves her hands.

"Also Sakura I'm trying to apologize I don't want us to hate each other I mean think of the consequences if we get put on a team together and we can't stand each other that would be disastrous for the whole mission" Ino continues thinking rationally for once while Sakura stood there staring in mild surprise 'Death really changes a person especially if you think your in love with said person' Sakura thought sadly "And I'm sorry for always calling you forehead girl I mean your forehead isn't even that big" Ino was still ranting.

Sakura watched Ino take a deep breath but before she could that breath to use she jumped in "Ino I got it your sorry" Sakura gives the blonde a smile causing Ino to pause "You just smiled at me" Ino said numbly in shock "Yes your right about everything but going on missions together will have to wait" Sakura gives a sad smile "Wait, what, why" the words tumble from Ino's mouth "I'm leaving the village on a 3 year training expedition" Sakura announces to her and Ino stares mouth dropped open 'Okay your a big girl now Ino no more insults' Ino thought briefly.

"Well I'd like to wish you good luck then" Ino gestures for Sakura to follow her into the shop "Wait right there Sakura" she smiles pleasantly going over to a bunch of flowers and searching through them muttering to herself a few minutes later "Aha" Ino says softly as she emerges from the flowers holding a flower she had never seen before in any of the flowerfields "This is on the house Sakura" Ino hands the flower over "That's a Stephanotis Flower it means Good Luck" Ino explains going over to the cash register to pay for the flower with her own money.

"Thank you Ino" Sakura pulls the blonde into a quick but awkward hug "I promise to bring back a souvenir for you" Sakura promises once she had released Ino from the hug and with a small smile and a wave she exited the flower shop "Ino was that Sakura" Inoichi comes down the steps "Yeah" Ino answers sullenly standing behind the counter again just as Shikamaru comes running into the shop "Is Sakura here" he pants hands on his knees this causes Ino to start laughing.

"Sorry Shikamaru you just missed her by a few minutes" Ino grins teasingly when Shikamaru sighs "What a drag" Shikamaru lets out before wiping his forehead and heading out of the shop after Sakura "What was that all about" Ino wondered aloud "Oh didn't you hear Ino, the Nara and Aburame clans have announced the news of an arranged marriage between Sakura-san and Shikamaru-san" Inoichi explains to his daughter "Oh" Ino sighs bitterly as she thought about Sasuke for the first time since his funeral.

Meanwhile Sakura had found Choji and Asuma exiting the barbeque restaurant a few streets over "Oh hey there Choji, Asuma-san" Sakura gives them a bright smile she was about to continue on when Choji called out to her "Sakura why don't you walk with us for a bit" he offered and Sakura swung around "Sure Choji" she said that bright smile still on her lips as she fell into step with them "So you looked like you were in a hurry there" Asuma asks the girl his lazy student seemed to like because of how much he talked about her.

"Ah not exactly" Sakura rubs the back of her head sheepishly "I'm just going round visiting people" she admits her smile fading "What's on your mind Sakura-chan" Choji asks upon seeing this "Oh well hehe it's so silly it's not like it will be forever" Sakura rambles out suddenly causing Choji to frown "The thing is I'm going to be leaving the village for 3 years to train" she finally sighs out "Well think about it this way Sakura-chan at least when you come back you'll only be leaving for missions" Choji tries to cheer her up.

"Thanks Choji" Sakura smiles again before giving him a quick hug "At least promise to write I'm sure Shikamaru would appreciate that Sakura-san" Asuma expels smoke from his mouth before saying this "Of course Asuma-san" Sakura gives the two a small wave before turning down a different street several minutes later Shikamaru slides to a halt in front of them "Have either of you seen Sakura" he asks looking around for pink hair "You just missed her Shikamaru" Choji says with a grin chuckling as Shikamaru groans before heading off in another direction.

Sakura had wandered close to the village gates "Hey Sakura" Izumo and Kotetsu call her over "How have you been Sakura-chan" Kotetsu asks her and Sakura gives him a distracted smile "I've been doing well" her green eyes focus on him finally "So I've heard some interesting news" Izumo speaks suddenly drawing Sakura's attention "What's that Izumo" Sakura asks curiously "That your in an arranged marriage with Shikamaru Nara" Izumo answers causing Sakura to nod excitedly "Yes that's true" she smiles happily.

"You seem upset not about the marriage contract but about something else" Kotetsu draws her attention again with his observation "Oh" and just like that her happiness fades causing both men to share a look of concern "What's wrong Sakura-chan are you still sad about Sasuke" Izumo asks he had heard how depressed Sakura had been when the Uchiha had been killed and he wondered if it was still bothering her "No Izumo in fact I'm doing much better it's about something else entirely" Sakura admits flashing him a small smile.

"Well then what is it Sakura" Kotetsu asks also worried about his friend "Well in a few days I'll be leaving the village on a 3 year training expedition" she finally says "That's nothing to be depressed about" Kotetsu laughs causing Sakura to glare at him "I won't get to see you guys or anyone for a long time" Sakura snaps "Sakura it's part of being a ninja think of it as a mission some shinobi get sent on much longer missions" Izumo explains "I guess that's true" Sakura mulls over the new information.

"Thanks guys I'll see you later I have several other people to tell" Sakura gives them a wave before running off in the opposite direction 15 minutes later Shikamaru came running by looking around he deflates and in a dull voice "Let me guess I just missed her" he scowls getting frustrated 'This is the 3rd damn time, 3RD that I've missed her' he thought with a sigh walking quickly towards her chakra which was still pretty far away from him seeing this Izumo and Kotetsu share a grin of amusement.

Across the village Sakura was distracted and walked right into "Aburame-san" Neji nods politely at the girl he had calmed down a lot since his defeat and was now treating everyone a lot more nicer "Oh Hyuuga-san" Sakura smiles kindly at the older boy before peering around him and spying his teammates and his sensei "Sakura-san" Lee jumps up in excitement upon seeing his crush "Will you be my girlfriend and spend the rest of our youth together" he gives a rant about youth causing Tenten to roll her eyes.

Wincing at the declaration Sakura sighs "I'm sorry Lee-san, but I can't be your girlfriend I'm in an arranged marriage" she cringes at seeing his devastated expression and the absolute hurt in his eyes "Is your clan forcing you to marry someone against your will" Neji speaks up knowing what it was like to be in a clan and be forced into an arranged marriage "Not exactly" Sakura gives him a pained smile "The arranged marriage was set up on my request" she explains crushing Lee's hopes even further.

"I see I'm sorry for being a bother Sakura-san" Lee sighs sadly "I'm sorry Lee-san we can still be friends though" Sakura smiles causing the boy to brighten "I will cherish our friendship like the springtime of youth" he spouts fire in his eyes while running off "Oh wait Lee-san" Sakura tries to stop him but it was to late "Good luck finding him now" Tenten snorts in amusement "Well when you see him again will you tell him that I'll be leaving the village soon for 3 years to train" Sakura rattles off quickly before giving her and Neji a wave and rushing off again.

Before they could initiate another spar Shikamaru walks into the clearing opens his mouth then swiftly closes it releasing an irritated sigh he quickly walks off headed after Sakura who he had missed again 'How the heck do I keep missing her' Shikamaru growls in his thoughts while passing several people completely focused on Sakura's chakra that was just ahead of him and then it was further away 'Why can't I catch her troublesome girl' he pouted internally as she got further and further away.

"Ibiki" Sakura yelled the minute she had seen the bald-headed trench-coat wearing man "Brat" Ibiki greets causing Sakura to roll her eyes she opened her mouth to tell him her news when "I already know about you leaving the village to train for 3 years brat Anko told me" Ibiki smirks smugly when Sakura pouts "I'm also in an arranged marriage" she laughs when the man pauses mid step and lowers his foot back to the ground to face her completely "Let me guess the Nara boy" Ibiki guesses correctly causing Sakura to smile happily.

"That's right" Sakura nods "Good luck" Ibiki smiles and disappears with a pop causing Sakura's eyes to twitch in mild irritation 'Men' she thought in amusement before continuing on her way missing Shikamaru's chakra as he flares right behind her as she locates Hinata's chakra and uses the teleportation jutsu to reach the girl quicker "Hey Hinata-chan" she greets appearing next to Hinata's father and interrupting the sparring session between Hinata and Hanabi.

He had almost had her 'This is getting ridiculous' Shikamaru thought he had been right behind her and before Shikamaru could call out to her 'She just had to use that dang teleportation jutsu' Shikamaru sighed heading in the direction of the Hyuuga compound "Oh hello Sakura-chan" Hinata stutters out before continuing her spar at her fathers nod figuring she had nothing better to do Sakura sits next to Hiashi to wait for Hinata to be available "How does it feel to be in an arranged marriage so young" Hiashi asks suddenly startling Sakura.

"Oh Hyuuga-sama" Sakura gives a small smile before answering his question "I'm happy because I know that I would have married Shikamaru anyway" she says leaning back on her elbows "Your not bothered by it" Hiashi asks curiously without looking at the young girl "No not at all" Sakura shrugs standing up when Hiashi calls out "That's enough for the day girls" and heads inside Hanabi trailing him while Sakura heads over to Hinata and begins healing her cuts and bruises.

"Thanks Sakura-chan" Hinata thanks her shyly "Don't worry about it Hinata-chan" Sakura smiles brightly at the girl pulling her up by the hand she was about to talk more when Kiba appeared "Hi Sakura" he greeted loudly Akamaru barking along with his master "Hello Kiba and you as well Akamaru" Sakura gave a small wave back to the two "So is it true Sakura-chan are you really getting married to Shikamaru" Hinata asks suddenly and Sakura nods "Yeah but that's not the only thing" Sakura smiles drawing Kiba's attention.

"What else could you say to that" Kiba asks loudly "I'm leaving the village for 3 years to train" Sakura grins causing Hinata to give a little gasp and Kiba to stare at her in jealousy "Who are you going to be training with" Kiba asks 'Man I wish I could leave the village to train Naruto and Sakura get all the damn luck' he thought sourly while Sakura hesitated "Well his name is Hidan" she finally says causing Hinata and Kiba to share a look of confusion and in perfect sync "Who is Hidan" they ask together in curiosity.

Holding back from laughing "Well he was part of a group called Akatsuki but he's a member of our village now" Sakura explains briefly "Oh well good luck" Hinata gives her a kind smile while Kiba sulks "I'm going to be bringing back souvenirs anything specific" Sakura asks seeing this "Oh well I'm sure you'll pick out excellent gifts" Kiba finally says "Well I'll do my best to bring back good gifts anyways I'm gonna head home now so see you later" Sakura disappears with a wave a few minutes later Shikamaru appears looking a little ruffled and this causes Kiba to burst into laughter while Hinata tried her best to play mediator between the two boys "Shikamaru you just missed her she said she was going home" she explains when Kiba had stopped laughing and Shikamaru was listening to her "Oh" is all he mutters heading home himself.

At the Aburame Compound Sakura was sitting down for dinner with her family "Have you told everyone that your leaving yet" Shibi asks cutting up his steak eyeing her curiously when she pauses fork halfway to her mouth and her mouth open 'I can't believe I forgot about Shikamaru I guess I'll tell him the day after tomorrow' she thought she had planned to dedicate tomorrow to going through her storage scrolls and packing what she needed in a bag "I take it you haven't told Shikamaru" Shibi correctly guesses when she lets out an extremely embarrassed laugh before sulking suddenly.

"I'll tell him before I leave" Sakura sighed out a few minutes later before eating her meal silently when she's done Sakura heads up to her room and grabs all of her storage scrolls her eyes widening at the quantity 'Ouch thats gonna take awhile to sort through' she mentally thinks with a cringe before remembering the storage scrolls she had at Naruto's apartment and with a long suffering sigh vows to help Naruto pack so that he didn't try to bring his entire house with him Sakura's thoughts are interrupted when Shino knocks on her door calling her name.

"Sakura may I come in" Shino asks eyeing the mess Sakura had created on her bed "Sure" she smiles hastily tidying up "Imouto-chan promise me that when you come back you'll still be you" Shino asks suddenly "I promise Shino" Sakura furrows her brows in confusion "I wanted to give you something before you leave promise me that you'll take care of it until you get back" Shino produces a weird necklace and places it in Sakura's hands that she had held out for him "Of course I promise but what is it" Sakura asks holding it carefully with care.

"You remember Torune don't you and his special ability" Shino asks and Sakura nods remembering the boy who housed poison insects "Over the years I've been carefully breeding these beetles to be immune to any poison I want you to hold onto the necklace until you get back" Shino finishes standing "I promise and thank you Shino" Sakura smiles sweetly at her brother "Goodnight Imouto-chan" he bides the girl goodnight and swiftly exits the room "Goodnight Shino" Sakura yawns out before putting the necklace on before curling up in the center of her bed and without much prompt fell asleep.


	35. Packing and Shopping Part 1

When Sakura woke the next morning she grabbed her bags with all the storage scrolls and hauled them down the stairs "Hey Keiko I'm gonna be at Naruto's for most of the day" she calls out to the woman before dragging the bags out the door and across the village her arms straining under the weight of the bags as she finally reached Naruto's apartment knocking on the door after she set them down she waited "Sakura-chan" Naruto came out wearing his pajamas and rubbing his sleep crusted eyes.

"It's time to get up sleepy head I'm going to help you pack for your training outside the village" with those words Naruto gives a yell of excitement "Ok let me just go get the bags and scrolls from the closet" he ran off to his room a few minutes later shoving several bags full of scrolls and setting them before her "I'm gonna make some ramen for us is that alright Sakura-chan" he asks pulling the items out already "Sure you make awesome cup ramen Naruto" Sakura grins at the blonde before rolling up her sleeves and laying all the scrolls in a row.

'Ok I will get this done today' Sakura thought determined unsealing all of the scrolls and cringing at the amount of items she had hearing the noise Naruto comes into his living room his blue eyes wide gulping "Hey Sakura-chan why don't we eat before we get started I'm sure a few more minutes won't make much of a difference that way when we are done I can help out" he suggested "Your right Naruto" Sakura breathes a sigh of relief before letting Naruto help her to her feet and following him into the kitchen.

Several minutes later after they had eaten the shrimp ramen the two emerge from the kitchen to tackle their task of organizing and packing scrolls for their trips "Be conservative Naruto" Sakura warns suddenly when he reaches out for a big item "Of course Sakura-chan" he gives her a whiskered grin before sifting through some things and pulling out a package of bandage rolls holding it up he gets a nod from Sakura and sets it aside 'I've been practicing so maybe just 2 of those packages will enough' Naruto thought before digging out another package.

This continues on until he has a nice pile of enough medical supplies to last him at least 2 and a half years if he limits himself "Good Job Naruto" Sakura praises when she looks up from her own pile unlike Naruto she had started with the pills "Ok you look for the pills this time and I'll look for medical supplies" she suggests digging through the pile of items again before emerging with a couple packages of ointment and setting them in a pile feeling sweat drip down her neck in the heat of the apartment.

"Look Sakura-chan isn't this the teddy bear I gave you" Naruto emerges from the otherside of the pile with a laugh holding said teddy bear and Sakura smiles sheepishly "I was gonna keep it for whenever I have kids of my own" she explains "Oh explains why I hadn't seen it for a long time" Naruto snickers before setting it aside and grabbing the package of food pills he had forgone to tease Sakura about the teddy bear sitting back he eyes his pile again and with a satisfied nod seals the items in a scroll.

Titling it so that he knows later on which scroll is which he puts it in a bag that he set aside before they had begun as Sakura does the same "Phew" she wipes her forehead of the sweat that had beaded there "Want me to turn on a fan Sakura-chan" Naruto asks feeling the sweat sliding down his own face "That would be lovely" Sakura nods quickly and soon cool air is blowing this the apartment "Oh thank heavens I thought I was going to die" Sakura laughs before setting to work again.

'Hmm I can't leave behind my weapons Jashin-sama gave me' she thinks as she spies a glint of green tinted metal in the pile before "Ooowww that hurt" Naruto pulls back holding his finger that had blood dripping off of it "Sorry Naruto I forgot to warn you about the weapons" Sakura apologizes instantly "It's ok Sakura-chan" Naruto pouts but heals his finger before grabbing a few kunai pouches and filling them with silver kunai doing the same with other weapons until he has enough to last him awhile.

Meanwhile Sakura had grabbed all of her weapons that had her signature on them and Naruto stared in awe "Those are cool Sakura-chan where did you get them" he asks sulking "Oh well I got them from someone important" Sakura's answer is vague "How about we go get you some new weapons as well" she offers knowing that it would distract him from asking anymore questions about her own "Heck yeah can we go now" Naruto jumps up excitedly "Yeah" Sakura laughs with a smile and stands.

On the otherside of the village "I'm sorry Shikamaru-san, Sakura-sama isn't here" a different maid greets Shikamaru who had knocked on the door of the Aburame Compound "Do you know where she is I have to talk to her" Shikamaru tapped his foot impatiently throwing his hands in the air Shikamaru heads off into town hoping to run into her somewhere back with Naruto and Sakura they had just entered a weapons shop and were looking around at all the different weapons it had.

Grabbing his hand Sakura leads Naruto over to a shelf filled with red-orange tinted shurikens "Hey look at these Naruto" she grabs one and shows it to him "Wicked" Naruto exclaims holding the shuriken closer to examine it "Do you think I could get my initials engraved on it" he asks pulling it away "Absolutely just one of them though" Sakura grins grabbing a couple of packages of the shurikens and putting them in the basket she had grabbed before pulling Naruto further down the shelf to look at some kunai.

"Sakura-chan look at those kunai" Naruto whistles in appreciation at the blue-handled red-orange tinted kunai "Hey Sakura-chan why do your weapons have cherry blossoms engraved on them" Naruto asks suddenly "Oh well it's my signature mark whenever someone see's them they'll know I'm near" Sakura explained "Do you think I could have something like that engraved in my weapons cause it sounds cool ya know" Naruto asks sheepishly "Of course Naruto and I know just the thing" Sakura says grinning mischievously.

To excited about getting a new set of weapons Naruto drags Sakura into an aisle filled with pouches forgoing the senbon and swords "What about these weapons pouches Naruto" Sakura holds up red-orange tinted with blue stitching pouches "Sweet" Naruto hums out while Sakura grabs a few pouches "Ok Naruto is there anything else" Sakura asks when she puts the pouches in the basket hanging off of her arm "Maybe a short sword kinda like yours" Naruto falls silent for a moment before answering.

"Alright let's go pick you out a sword" Sakura grinned before leading Naruto back to the shelves where she spots the perfect sword and sheath in the same colors as his other weapons "Grab that one Naruto" she suggest pointing at the one she had seen "Oh Sakura-chan is amazing" Naruto says in awe of it pulling the tantou sword off of the shelf handling the blade carefully before handing it over to Sakura so that she could inspect it before sliding it into the basket with the other weapons.

"Let's go check out at the register" she gives him a sweet smile before pulling Naruto to the front of the store "Did you find everything you need" the one behind the counter asks "Yes, thank you" Sakura smiles pleasantly at him handing over the items "Oh Naruto could you go wait outside" she turns to the blonde waiting impatiently at her side "Ok Sakura-chan" he gives her a wave "Oh wait hand me your headband" Sakura calls out stopping him in his tracks "Ok" he gives her a weird smile before continuing on out of the shop.

"I'd like to get some of these engraved with initials and a signature mark N.U. on one kunai and one shuriken and black whisker marks on all of them, for the sword his whole name Naruto Uzumaki along with the black whisker marks on the sheath as well" Sakura explains handing the weapons over before taking a deep breath placing a pair of elbow length gloves with black guards on them her own headband and Naruto's on the counter releasing the breath she starts another round of explanations.

"Fore the gloves I'd like lime green cherry blossoms with the Aburame clan symbol and my initials S.A. stitched into them and on the black armor blood red cherry blossoms, for my headband I'd like the cloth to be dyed black and the same design stitched into it, as for his headband I'd like the cloth to be dyed orange his initials stitched in dark red and the black whisker marks and for the weapon pouches the whisker marks and his initials" she finally finishes "The total comes to 2,375 ryo" the employee of the shop rings up the items.

Sakura hands over the money and prepares to leave the shop when she pauses "How long do think it will take" Sakura asks swinging around making the guy stop before he could head into the back of the shop "Come back before close and we'll see how much we have done" the guy answers before continuing on his way weapons and other items gathered in his arms before Sakura could say much more with that she heads out of the shop finding Naruto goofing off with 3 academy students that were very familiar "Oh hey Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon" she greets.

"Hey Sakura-chan" Moegi greets glaring at Naruto and Konohamaru "Naruto" Sakura warns the blonde who was about to do something stupid "Ok Sakura-chan sorry Konohamaru you'll have to wait till I get back from training" Naruto ruffles the boys locks leading Sakura back to his apartment "Hey where's all of our stuff" Naruto exclaims a few minutes later when he realizes Sakura had exited the shop completely empty handed "Getting engraved with your signature mark and initials" Sakura grins patting his head.

Several minutes after Sakura and Naruto had left Shikamaru comes barreling into the shop only to heave a sigh and run a hand down his face and try to locate Sakura's chakra again he had only briefly found it and now it was gone again 'Why is Sakura avoiding me' he thought sadly shoving his hands in his pockets and trudging out of the shop little did he know Sakura wasn't avoiding him she was unconsciously masking her chakra so to avoid being bothered while she sorted through her things.

Back at Naruto's apartment Sakura and Naruto were searching through the pile for even more things to take with them when suddenly a very pink shirt came flying at Naruto from Sakura's direction followed by a soft scream of frustration "All of these clothes are ridiculous and so not me" she pulled her hair as she shoved the pile of clothes away from her.

Looking at his own pile and then at the bag that only had a few scrolls in it "Hey Sakura-chan want to have lunch I'll even let you make it" Naruto offered for distraction "You asked for it Naruto remember that" Sakura grins before heading into his kitchen to rifle through his cupboards finding a few regular items she pulls them out and sets to work on making lunch for the two of them 20 minutes later the table is set up they had just sat down to eat when a pounding on Naruto's door alerts them to some company.

"I'll get it" Naruto jumps up and heads to the door "Shikamaru" he greets causing Sakura to stand her heart pounding nervous when the boy himself comes into the kitchen "Finally I've been looking everywhere for you Sakura" Shikamaru gives her a bright smile and pulling her into a hug "Is there enough for me" he asks eyeing the delicious looking food "Yeah let me make you a plate" Sakura squeaks out embarrassed by his proximity "So what brings you here Shika-kun" she asks with her back turned to him "I have some news to tell you" he admits sheepishly.

"Tell me while we eat" she asks turning back around a smile placed on her lips and a third plate of food in her hands with that all three sit at the table and dig into their homemade lunch "So what the heck did you want Sakura-chan for anyway" Naruto asks after a moment swallowing his bite of food "Oh well did you get told about the marriage contract between us" Shikamaru asks causing Naruto to pause and almost spit out his food "I did" Sakura grins pressing her lips together in an effort not to laugh at Naruto's reaction.

"Are you happy about it" Shikamaru asks again cracking a smile at Naruto's expression "Absolutely" Sakura answers with a nod before finally letting out a few giggles "There is no way your getting married to Sakura-chan, lazy boy" Naruto glares finishing his bite and setting his fork down "I'm sorry Naruto you can't stop it" Sakura smiles at the suddenly sullen boy "I know why don't we go shopping for new clothes you can come to Shikamaru" she offers as a distraction 'Geez I feel like that's all I've done all day is offer distractions' Sakura thought feeling suddenly exhausted.

"That sounds awesome" Naruto jumps up preparing to rush out the door "First lets finish lunch" Sakura laughs "Alright Sakura-chan" and he takes his seat again to start eating as fast as possible but still eating with manners "Why'd you invite me" Shikamaru scratched his eyeing her warily "Well your good with dark colors maybe you can help me pick out some" Sakura grinned knowing what he was thinking "Oh I thought you invited me so that I could carry your stuff" Shikamaru admitted polishing off his plate right at the same time Naruto said that he was done eating.

A couple of minutes later Sakura was finished she stood up from the table gathered the dishes and silverware and placed it in the sink "Naruto what's my rule whenever I cook" she asks "Cook never washes dishes" he mumbles sulking 'But if that's the price I have to pay whenever she cooks I'll gladly do the dishes' he thought admitting that only to himself "Alright let's go get some new clothes" Sakura pumps her arm up in the air "What about the dishes" Naruto asks "They can be done later" she quips before leading the boys out the door.


	36. Packing and Shopping Part 2

The group of three head into the nearest clothing store only to back out a few seconds later their faces beat red all for completely different reasons 'I can't believe the leaf village has a lingerie shop like that' Sakura thought with a grimace before leading them to a clothing store a few streets down this one held shinobi gear so grabbing the two boys by the hand leads them over to the nearest rack of female clothing "What do you think about this one Shikamaru" she asks pulling out a gray tank top "Too revealing" Shikamaru blurts out the next moment.

"It's not like I'm gonna wear it without an overshirt you dork" Sakura snorts in amusement "Oh" Shikamaru mutters flushing in embarrassment "Well then it's perfectly acceptable" he clears his throat with a nod "Good" Sakura flashes him a smile before pulling out a few more in varying colors like dark blue, or dark red and of course dark green and a dark orange until she has five piled up in her cart folded neatly so that she had room to add more later on "Ok done with the undershirts now for the overshirts" Sakura nods before leading them to the next rack of clothes.

Spying some clothes for guys on the otherside of the store "Hey Sakura I'm gonna head over there" Naruto points in the direction "Ok Naruto, why don't you go with him Shikamaru and help him pick out some clothes I think I can handle this" Sakura said without looking up from the shirts she had pulled out comparing their weight before settling on the dark green short-sleeved shirt on the otherside of the store Naruto had pulled out a dark orange shirt used to wearing darker colors whenever Sakura felt the need to make him wear the dark clothes to blend in.

"Shikamaru is there nothing you can really do about the marriage contract" Naruto asks a few minutes later "I'm sorry Naruto once it's signed there is nothing that stop it unless one of our parents the one's who signed the contract revoke their signature" Shikamaru shrugs looking at some chunin vests on the rack across from the one Naruto was searching through all while keeping watch over Sakura who had finished picking out some short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts and was moving onto pants, shorts, and skirts.

"Do you think Sakura-chan is really happy I know her better than you and she often makes something out to be better than it really is" Naruto turns accusing blue eyes on Shikamaru "If I find out she's covering for you" Naruto threatens blue eyes turning hard "I promise Naruto my dad said she was really happy about this" Shikamaru turns to face Naruto briefly "Oh" Naruto lowers his finger as his anger fizzles before grabbing a few more shirts in varying colors of orange before walking back over to Sakura who was having trouble choosing between skirts.

"What did you get Sakura" Shikamaru asks distracting her from her current frustration "Oh well I got some short-sleeved shirts that are very light but also allow plenty of movement and some long-sleeved shirts that are heavy along with a couple light ones I'm having trouble choosing between this silky material or this heavy material for skirts" Sakura let out a sigh before thrusting the skirts into Shikamaru's hands "You pick" she orders and closed her eyes her face turning bright cherry red.

Gulping nervously Shikamaru quickly felt the materials of each skirt before handing them back over to Sakura "The heavy one but I think you should get a couple of lighter skirts just in case just not the silky ones" he said clearing his throat his face equally as red as Sakura's "Oh thank you Shikamaru" Sakura gives a happy squeal and places the skirts in the basket before looking through the pants completely missing Shikamaru's sigh of relief when she doesn't whack him over the head screaming that he had chosen the wrong one.

"I'm glad you chose the heavy material that's the one I'd been leaning towards" Sakura stops in her perusal for a moment to tell him this before sifting through some pants and letting out a hum of apprecation pulling out a pair of dark white pants that were stretchy and extremely light "Those are cute" Shikamaru bravely comments on them "I thought so too and they are extremely practical" Sakura hugged him drawing awws from some of the customers in the shop a second later she pulls away blushing again while Shikamaru chuckled.

Eyes flitting through the pants she spies a dark red and a dark orange pair of pants the exact same material as the white ones before grabbing two pairs of sweats one dark green and the other the standard dark blue that were a much heavier material for the winter months finished with the pants she grabs 5 pairs of knee length shorts and 5 pairs of thigh length shorts "Let's move onto the sweatshirts" Sakura laughs when both boys give a pout "Why don't you go pick out some pants and sweats and some lighter clothing as well Naruto" Sakura relents.

"You go with him Shikamaru" Sakura gestures for Shikamaru to follow and the boys speed off in the direction of male clothing Sakura laughing as she watched them go before heading towards the sweatshirts and grabbing 5 of them folds them neatly in her basket moving further into the shop towards unmentionables quickly grabbing 5 pairs of each item and shoving them under the other clothes quickly she hurries out of that section "Hey Sakura what's the hurry" Tenten calls out stopping the younger girl.

"Oh well I'm here with Shikamaru and Naruto" Sakura offered a sheepish grin "Ah" Tenten smiles teasingly dropping what she had in her hands and joining Sakura on her walk back towards the front of the store where the two boys were standing at the register waiting to be rung up "I see you've got a lot of new clothes to Naruto" Sakura smiled praising the boy before grabbing 5 pairs of socks all in varying colors and then grabs a couple pairs of sandals one pair in black and the other in dark red.

Spinning around she grabs a pair of heeled boots in dark green and then grabs a couple pairs of winter boots before reaching over and takes 5 different colored scarves before looking around noticing the coats she grabs a dark white one before finally heading to the counter "Got enough there Sakura" Tenten asks eyeing the basket full of clothes "Yep enough to last me until I get back to the village" Sakura explains before stopping Naruto who was handing over the money to pay for his new clothes.

"Hang on sir" she smiles sweetly leaning forward "Can you stitch his initials N.U., the uzumaki clan symbol and black whiskers on each of his new clothes" she lowers her voice to a whisper "Of course miss that will be an additional 70 ryo to the original mount" he totals and Naruto finally hands over the amount adding 70 more in to the pile of ryo all while wondering what the heck Sakura had said to make the guy add even more money onto his total before deciding that he'd find out eventually.

"Shikamaru and I will wait for you outside the shop" Naruto calls before ducking under the curtain of the shop Shikamaru following him "Did you find everything alright miss" Sakura turned around to find out that the guy from before had been replaced with a girl "Yep and I have a bit of a request for my clothes" Sakura hauls the basket up onto the counter before placing the coat on top "Alright and what would you like done" the girl asks eyeing the large amount before beginning to ring it all up.

"Well I'd like each of them to have my initials S.A. the Aburame clan symbol and blood red and lime green cherry blossoms stitched into them" Sakura explains simply "Of course your total is 1,987 ryo" the girl announces tacking on the custom order total at the end Tenten watches as Sakura pulls out the money counts it then hands over the exact amount before snapping her wallet shut "We should hang out more when I get back" is called over Sakura's shoulder as she heads out of the shop.

"Ok um Shikamaru do you think we could maybe spend tomorrow together I have something to tell you and it's very important" Sakura asks biting down on her lip "Sure Sakura see you tomorrow" Shikamaru gave her a small wave before turning and heading down the street in the direction of his clans compound the minute he turned the corner "You haven't told him your leaving yet" Naruto points and yells in accusation "That's why I need your help to keep people from bothering me tomorrow" Sakura asks.

"Ok Sakura-chan" Naruto relents "Let's go finish packing then head to the weapons shop to see if our stuff is done" he suggests and Sakura nods "Yes, lets" she answers following Naruto as he leads them back to his apartment "Wait I just realized we can't finish packing without our stuff" Naruto exclaims causing Sakura to laugh at him "We can at least finish sorting through some other stuff and pack a few more items" Sakura offers and Naruto nods eagerly ready to forget about his blunder from earlier opening his apartment door they enter the living room so they could sit.

A few hours later and several more scrolls packed in their bags Sakura seals the rest of the stuff away grabbing a few empty scrolls for each of them before stowing the bags in Naruto's closet "Come on Naruto let's go get dinner at Ichiraku" Sakura suggests wiping her forehead "Heck yeah" Naruto jumps up excitedly dragging her out of his apartment and down the street to his favorite restuarant ordering their favorites "Are you excited for the trip" Naruto asks while they are waiting "Yeah" Sakura nods "I can't wait" she smiles widely before grabbing her ramen and eating.

A stuffed belly an hour later Naruto pays for their meal as they head to the weapons shop to see if the weapons and headands were done walking into the shop "Oh hello there your things are finished which one of you is Naruto Uzumaki" the one behind the counter greets "Me, I'm Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto introduces himself running up to him "Well here's your new custom made headband and your weapons and pouches" he hands the things over causing Naruto to gasp in awe of the engravings "Wow what are those Sakura-chan" he turns to ask her his question.

"Those are whisker marks kinda like on your face" Sakura explains grabbing her own headband and tying it around her head again before putting the gloves she had bought in her storage pouch "Thank you for shopping here and I hope you'll come again" the guy behind the counter says as they exit the shop their business done "Here Naruto store your stuff in this scroll" Sakura holds out the three empty scrolls she had grabbed and hands them over to Naruto who quickly seals his new weapons in them stowing them in his pouch heading towards the clothing store.

Inside the clothing store they meet Hidan and Kakuzu "Hey fu.. Sakura" Hidan greets upon noticing that someone was with her "Hey Hidan when are we leaving tomorrow" Sakura asks "At night" Hidan grabs a new pair of pants like his old pair and heads to the register to pay for them he had been taking missions the last few days to save up some money "Oh that's a relief" Sakura sighed from behind him as he hands over his money and grabs the bag that held his new pants "Why's that" Hidan asks curiously making Kakuzu twitch creeped out.

"Well I'm going to spend the day with Shikamaru tomorrow" she explains as she takes her place at the front of the line her little blonde friend standing next to her grabbing her bags that the lady holds out before separating a few bags and handing them over to the boy "See ya tomorrow at sundown Hidan" she calls over her shoulder exiting the shop only to walk right into Kakashi "Hey Kakashi-senpai" Sakura greets "Did you hear I'm leaving on a 3 year training trip" she claps excitedly when he nods "See you senpai" Sakura gives him a wave.

"Make sure when you get back you seal those in a scroll and put them in your bag and set it by the door" Sakura advices before heading in the direction of the Aburame Compound only to pause "You know what I think I'll spend the night on your couch" Sakura smiles brightly before summoning Tomo "Hey Tomo could you give a message to my dad for me tell him I'm staying the night at Naruto's and don't worry about coming back when you deliver the message just go home" she orders and Tomo flies off to deliever his message.

"Shibi-sama, Sakura-sama said that she was going to stay at Naruto-san's house for the night" Tomo flies into his office through his open window "Thank you Tomo" Shibi thanks the moth disappearing with a pop his mission complete back at Naruto's apartment they were eating another bowl of ramen courtesy of Naruto "So what do you think about your new clothes Naruto" Sakura asks "Awesome especially the weapons" Naruto responds pulling out one of his new shuriken the one that happened to have his initials engraved on it to examine it closer liking the color and well everything else really.

"I know exactly what you mean" Sakura smiles pulling out her own shuriken and letting Naruto see it she was wearing a pair of new pajamas she had bought "So why dark green" Naruto asks inquisitively as he pushes his empty bowl away and Sakura collects it and her own to clean the dishes while mulling over what to tell him finished they head into the living room where the couch was made up Sakura laying down and Naruto sitting in a regular armchair "Well I didn't have a choice they were given to me like that" she finally says.

"Oh I get ya" Naruto nods "Anyways thanks Sakura-chan" he smiles preparing to head to his room "Wait Naruto ask Master Jiraiya to teach you some Fuinjutsu I bet you'd be really good at it" Sakura yawns "Ok if you say so Sakura-chan" he gives her a smile before flipping off the light "Night Sakura" he calls through the dark "Night Naruto" Sakura calls back as he shuts the door and gets in his own bed 'I wonder how Shikamaru will take my news' Sakura thought briefly before falling asleep dreaming of her future and what it would be like.


	37. The Last Day & Regrets

The next morning she woke up early to a knock on the door and Naruto staring at her from a chair right as Kakashi teleported into the house "I'll get the door" Naruto rushes off "Hey Shikamaru" he greets letting the boy in "Sakura, Hidan's been sent out of the village so you won't be leaving till tomorrow morning with Naruto and Jiraiya" Kakashi explains in a low voice when Sakura stares nervously at Shikamaru "I gotcha" Sakura whispers back softly assignment complete Kakashi disappears as and Sakura walks over to Shikamaru.

"Remember what you promised me" she asks as she walks out the door with Shikamaru before it could shut "I know I promise" Naruto chuckles "Where to first Shikamaru" Sakura asks when the door shuts behind them "How about we go visit each of the places we've been to starting with the first place we met" Shikamaru suggests "Isn't the academy in session right now" Sakura asks but heads in that direction anyway "It's sunday though I'm sure Iruka-sensei is there grading papers like usual" Shikamaru predicts.

And just like he had said Iruka was sitting at his desk grading papers "Hello Shikamaru, Sakura what brings you here on a sunday you guys didn't get in trouble with the Hokage and get a punishment to clean up the classroom did you" Iruka looks up from his papers to ask this "Nothing of the sort Iruka-sensei more like a trip down memory lane" Sakura gave the man a wave sitting down in her old spot "Man it feels like it's been ages since we've been in here" Sakura reminisces causing Shikamaru to nod in agreement.

"It has been ages Sakura" Shikamaru chuckles softly laying his head down on the desk "I remember the first day of classes you came in here and were so noisy that it woke me from my nap" he mumbles out with his eyes closed "And I distinctly remember telling you school was for learning and not for sleeping" Sakura giggles "Ah I remember that to" Shikamaru opens his eyes to peer at her his eyes hooded with laziness "Yeah" she sighs leaning her head on her hand as she smiles softly at the boy.

"Ok you two get out of my classroom" Iruka chuckles pushing the two laughing teens out of his classroom "Come on Sakura let's go to that field you found me in that one day and cloud watch for a couple of hours" Iruka hears the boy suggest before closing his door so that he could continue grading his papers "Alright I'm cool with that" Sakura exclaims allowing Shikamaru to take her by the hand and pull her out of the academy building and two their clearing with all the flowers in it.

"Ah this is the best" Sakura said with a sigh cuddling next to Shikamaru head on his chest and laying on the soft grass as they stared up at the sky "You can say that again the first time we really started hanging out was in this field you had appeared here suddenly while I had been trying to take a nap" Shikamaru accuses his tone of voice filled with laughter "Yeah but the only reason I had come here was to get away from Ino and Sasuke because they had started picking on me" Sakura lifted her head to stare at Shikamaru while she said this.

"I remember" Shikamaru sighs "I also remembering inviting you to join me in cloud watching and what you asked" he chuckles softly causing Sakura to scowl up at him and smack his arm lightly no force behind it at all "You asked how do you cloud watch" Shikamaru snorts in amusement "And you said all I had to do was be silent and lay back to watch the clouds" Sakura says with a roll of her eyes before laying her head back on Shikamaru's chest to watch the clouds when he speak again finishing the earlier conversation.

"We almost missed the end of lunch bell that day because we had dozed off and then you pulled me up by my arm and dragged me with you back to the academy barely making it into the classroom and to our seats where Naruto asked you if you had ran a marathon I remember the glare you gave him" Shikamaru laughs remembering Naruto's expression from that day as he stared at the two of them in confusion "I remember that two" Sakura gives a little laugh before falling silent a few minutes later Shikamaru speaks up again with another memory.

"I remember you storming in here once totally angry apparently Ino had called Shino bug boy and you pulled her hair during lunch but ran away before Ino could tattle on you" Shikamaru shakes his head glancing down at her briefly before returning his eyes to the sky to watch the clouds some more "Oh I remember that, that's the day I started fighting back because nobody insults my brother" Sakura shifts a little before laying still again "That's right you got in trouble anyway but you only had to serve a restricted lunch" Shikamaru produces the memory.

"Mhm" Sakura hums "Yeah it would have killed me to apologize to Ino back then" she admits a few minutes later "Back then" Shikamaru echoes the last two words in confusion "Oh well Ino apologized to me a couple days ago so I forgave her and now we're kinda friends" Sakura smiles sheepishly "Well that's a relief at least she's not still obsessing over Sasuke because that would just be a drag and way to troublesome" he announces a moment later after mulling over the new information she had given him.

"Yeah" Sakura sighs out watching the clouds drift by and feeling sleepy jolting awake when Shikamaru moves slightly underneath her "Oh hey I remember this one time where Naruto had pulled a prank on the teacher and he ran all the way here and hid behind me as you chased him I remember the scolding you gave him that day, that's also when he started changing bit by bit" Shikamaru points out "Oh I probably gave Naruto nightmares for weeks with that particular scolding" Sakura smiles widely.

"Your most likely right on that one Sakura-chan" Shikamaru grins "I know where we can go next Shikamaru" Sakura jumps up and discretely removes the genjutsu she had put up so that nobody would stumble across them while they were clouding watching taking his Sakura leads him to a bench that Shikamaru knew all too well "It's my turn Shikamaru" Sakura smiles her eyes sparkling in amusement as he pouts knowing exactly what memory Sakura was about to tell him.

"The first time I saw you actually get motivated for anything was when Choji went missing and you couldn't find him you even went so far as to ask me for help" Sakura snickers out "During lunch we headed out and I specifically remember Naruto pouting at me to take him along before we teleported away" Sakura taps her lip in thought "And then I used my summoning jutsu and summoned Tomo-kun and then we followed him all the way here where Choji was crying" Sakura finished with a grin.

"Do you remember what I told him that day to cheer him up" Sakura smirks when Shikamaru sighs and sits on the bench "You told him that I wasn't angry at him and that I was like a mother hen who fussed over her chick when it gets lost" he quotes word for word "Exactly and then Choza-san came and told us that we needed to get back to the academy or that we would miss our afternoon classes" Sakura sits as well remembering that day like it was only yesterday "It all seems so surreal" she sighs out leaning her head on Shikamaru's shoulder.

Meanwhile Naruto was trying his best to keep Choza and Choji out of the area "Halt you can't go in there" he calls out to the two that were headed into the forest "Why not Naruto" Choza raises an eyebrow and peers at the blonde curiously "Well Sakura and Shikamaru are in there and Sakura said she didn't want to be bothered today" Naruto huffs out "Ohhh" Choza grins at Naruto teasingly "Are you her bouncer for the day" Choza chooses his words carefully to confuse him.

"What's a bouncer" Naruto scratches his head in confusion 'Hook, line and sinker' Choza thought "Well a bouncer is someone who keeps other people from going into certain places" he explains to both boys knowing how confused his own son was at the unknown word "Yeah I'm Sakura-chan's bouncer for the day" Naruto's pushes out his chest in pride causing Choza to laugh at him "Don't laugh at me" Naruto pouts "Well since your being such a good sport I suppose we can wait awhile don't you think" Choza asks gaining a nod from Choji.

"Shikamaru" Sakura calls out nervously her heart pounding when a sudden thought enters her mind "Yeah Sakura" Shikamaru looks over at her and suddenly he felt very nervous "Um well you see" Sakura stutters out shyly while leaning forward 'This is so troublesome' Shikamaru thought with a nervous gulp when her breath mingles with his as she gets even closer biting her lip Sakura clenches her hands on the stone bench before veering off to the left and kissing his cheek briefly before pulling away.

"Oh" Shikamaru breathes out sounding mildly disappointed "Let's go Shikamaru" Sakura stands before leading him off to their next destination the training field Sakura trained Naruto in and also on some occasions Choji and Shikamaru whenever they felt bored and wanted to learn something new "This is where you learned how to correctly apply chakra to your feet and walk up a tree" Sakura looks up the trees that had many marks on them signifying how much action they had seen over the years.

"I remember that I distinctly remember feeling jealous over you for the first time ever here as you showed Naruto and then Choji how to tree climb before teaching me" Shikamaru admits sheepishly causing Sakura to shake her head "I remember you saying how much of a drag it was" she smirks when he admits that to "I just didn't want you to find out that I was jealous or that I actually wanted to learn something for once" Shikamaru admits again looking up the tree before smiling mischievously.

"Race you to the top if I win you have to go on a date with me tomorrow and if you win I'll do anything you want with in reason" Shikamaru bets missing Sakura's look of guilt 'I can't let him win' Sakura thought with a grimace as they simultaneously applied chakra to their feet and leaped onto a tree before racing up adding chakra to her legs Sakura speeds past Shikamaru and reaches the top "Ah what a drag" Shikamaru pouts as they walk back down the tree and onto the ground.

"Oh this is were Shino started becoming overprotective of you" Shikamaru suddenly remembers "It was on one of the days that Choji and I were training with you and Naruto when he came storming into the clearing his mouth had dropped open in shock seeing me so close to you and then he stomped over to us took you by the hand and dragged you home thus ending the training session early" he explains "So that's why Shino started getting a little overprotective" Sakura rolls her eyes 'Boys' she thought internally.

"Hehehe I remember one day when Shino tried to end another session before any of us could arrive you said that you had a special training course for us and went on ahead so when we finally got there you were cussing up a storm while ranting and raving" Shikamaru thinks up another memory "I do remember that" Sakura admits sheepishly "You know you've always seemed to have a potty mouth but you've always felt the need to restrain herself from cussing in my presence" Shikamaru points out suddenly.

"Well maybe I don't feel like cussing in front of you it kinda ruins the mood" Sakura mumbles out "I don't mind it Sakura in fact I'd like you to be yourself in front of me" Shikamaru tells her and Sakura stares at him in surprise "Damn if I'd known that years ago I wouldn't have stopped myself from cussing" she curses immediately feeling free from one of her burdens 'Only like 200 more to go' she thought internally "Ok Sakura I'm taking the lead this time" Shikamaru notices the expression on her face and grabs her hand leading her to their new destination.

Entering the building that was currently empty they felt like naughty little trouble makers again as they climbed the stairs before reaching the third floor and head through the door they had taken the written part of their chunin exams this time neither of them say anything as they head to the desks they had been assigned during the brief time they had been in the room when Sakura starts giggling "Anko-sensei is definitely a strange one but she's alright" she laughs out while remember the purple-haired woman's entrance.

"Let's not forget her love of sweet dumplings" Sakura snorts in amusement "I remember the weird looks you got when Ibiki-san was kind to you I'm pretty sure it freaked everyone out" Shikamaru snickers from his seat before listening closely as the sound of feet on stairs comes closer and closer "Let's get the hell out of here" Sakura whispers yells running over to the window Shikamaru hot on her heels and throwing it open right as the door starts creaking open the two jump out pulling the window shut and dash around the building as Ibiki opens the door.

Peering around the room he shuts the door heading out of the building almost knocking over "Hey brat" he greets the girl "Ibiki-san" Sakura laughs smiling at him widely her heart pounding wildly in her chest at almost being caught "Hey where are you going" Sakura asks getting an idea about where they were going next as Shikamaru comes up and stands next to her "Oh the building in the forest of death" Ibiki says offhandedly already heading in that direction "May we tag along" Sakura asks sweetly.

"Fine brat but behave yourselves" Ibiki sighs before gesturing for the two to take hold him as he teleports inside the building at the center of the forest of death "Thanks Ibiki we'll just be in the arena" Sakura gives him a wave before grabbing Shikamaru by the hand and leading him to the arena in the middle of the building "This is where I practiced my medical ninjutsu and healed you for the first time" Sakura gives him a smile as they both remember Ino's accusation when Sakura admitted to them she wasn't sure if it would work.

"That was also the day you taught Ino a valuable lesson when you knocked her out in your match and then stopped Gaara from killing Lee in fact I think we all learned something that day being a shinobi is for real it's not a game and people die" Shikamaru sighs sadly "Hey Shikamaru spar with me for a bit" Sakura asks suddenly hopping down into the arena "Your on Sakura" Shikamaru grins walking down the steps to stand before her "Don't go easy on me" Sakura warns suddenly.

"Wouldn't dream of it" he smirks before forming his handsign for the shadow possession jutsu "I've seen your jutsu Shika-kun" Sakura laughs before disappearing into thin air "You forget I've also seen your jutsu Saku-chan and I know exactly where your going to attack" Shikamaru smirks thinking he had her beat if he could calculate her movements only to wince a moment later as his cheek starts bleeding and a dark green shuriken whizzes past his ear 'Ok so I won't know where she'll strike' he thought with a pout while holding his cheek as blood drips down his neck.

Meanwhile Sakura was leaning against a wall while watching Shikamaru stand in the middle of the arena trapped in her genjutsu she had laced it in her eyes and the minute he had looked she activated it 'Poor Shikamaru I wonder what's going on in the genjutsu' she thinks to herself as he falls back and lands on the floor with a muted thud back in the illusion Shikamaru had ducked to avoid another shuriken that appeared from the middle of the arena and fell flat on his back "Sakura quite messing around" he huffs sighing in relief when she finally reappears.

"What's the matter Shikamaru" the illusion Sakura asks teasingly "Why are you going so easy on me" Shikamaru asks still not realizing he was in a genjutsu "You want me to come at you with intent to harm" Sakura asks in return emerald eyes focused entirely on him "Yeah that's the whole point sweet jesus what the heck is that Sakura" Shikamaru exclaims ducking the one bladed scythe she suddenly wielded "Oh this it's a gift I got from someone" the illusion Sakura explains slashing at Shikamaru and catching him several times.

'Wait a second I know I'm bleeding and I'm losing plenty of blood but I'm not feeling the effects of blood loss now I get it' Shikamaru thinks dodging and ducking and jumping back, left, right leaning down backwards as Sakura thrust her scythe at him seeing an opening he quickly puts his hands together "Release" he calls sitting up disoriented as he wakes up in the real world again "Nice job Shika-kun it took you about 15 minutes to figure it out that's a new record" Sakura laughs from her spot against the wall.

"Just tell me one thing when did you perform that genjutsu" Shikamaru pants sweat rolling off of him from the mental battle "When you looked into my eyes" Sakura admits flying at him with a kunai "Now it's time for the real fight" Sakura smiled throwing her kunai before reaching him and sweeping his feet out from underneath of him cartwheeling backwards Shikamaru regains his balance and tries to get distance from Sakura who was quickly gaining on him 'Damn what a drag she already knows my weakness' Shikamaru thought with a sigh.

While he thought this he spun to the right missing her punch by inches before crossing hims arms in front him to block the next slamming his palm into her stomach only to push her back a few centimeters as Sakura holds her ground grasping his arm Sakura throws him over her head before grabbing a few more kunai from her pouch and throwing them at him as she tries to get in close again the two fly into a round of punches and kicks as they try to knock the other off balance with their taijutsu skills when Shikamaru slams into the wall Sakura proving superior.

"Ha I've totally won Shikamaru" Sakura raises her fist only to find herself stuck "Not quite Sakura-chan" Shikamaru smirks having finally captured her in his own jutsu "Sorry Shika-kun better luck next time" Sakura says from behind him as she releases her clone as she places one of her old kunai that was dull from use against his neck "When the heck did you use that" Shikamaru pouts dropping his hands and turning his neck to look at her as she drops the kunai only to blink in surprise at how close she actually was to him.

Their lips had lightly brushed when Shikamaru had turned his head 'Oh my god' Sakura thought giving him a nervous smile jumping back and then "Hey are you two brats ready to go I'm finished here" Ibiki walks into the arena "Yep definitely" Sakura calls out taking Shikamaru's hand and suddenly they were back outside "Thanks Ibiki-san" she yells dragging Shikamaru in a different direction headed towards their final destination the final round of the chunin exams arena "This is the last place" she pants feeling a little exhausted from using her chakra all day and drops into one of the seats the stands had.

'This is troublesome' Shikamaru thought when he remembered exactly what he had done that day "The final day of the chunin exams this is where I realized what felt for you was much more than just a crush" Sakura admits when he sits next to her in the chair he had used that day before he had fled because of Shino "Yeah me too" Shikamaru echoes her thoughts out loud his heart pounding wildly in his chest "This is also where you cheered for me and Temari at the same time" Shikamaru distracts her for the moment his face heating up.

"Yeah listen Shikamaru there are something about myself that you don't know and I'd like to show you the real me promise me you won't freak out" Sakura suddenly admits "Ok Sakura I promise" Shikamaru says as seriously as possible before following her down into the arena the ground still held leftover marks from his battle with Temari watching Sakura as she pulls out a green tinted kunai "That's wicked Sakura where did you get that" he asks in awe of it "Well I'm about to show you" Sakura swallows thickly.

"This is the real me Shikamaru" she smiles sadly at him for the first time regretting being a jashinist 'Don't worry young acolyte he will accept you' Jashin's voice came from deep within giving Sakura the courage she needs as she starts her daily ritual a little early "Jashin, Lord of Slaughter I offer you my blood in this daily ritual" Sakura raises her kunai and slashes her wrist "I offer you pain of myself" she slashes her other wrist all while watching Shikamaru's facial expressions closely as she continues her ritual.

"I offer you my servitude so that I may offer you sacrifices lift me up oh Lord Jashin and let me be free" Sakura finishes closing her eyes and slashes herself all over before falling over in a faint at the rush of pleasure that followed the end of her ritual a few minutes later she comes to and Shikamaru is still standing in the same spot "Shikamaru" she asks taking a nervous step forward "Why would you hide something like that from" Shikamaru asks without look at her "I thought that you wouldn't like me anymore if you knew what I was really like" Sakura sighs.

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard Sakura, because no matter what I'll always like you I'm gonna finish what I started that day up in the stands I'm gonna do what I really wanted to do" Shikamaru flings his head up eyes filled with a fire she had never seen and walks over to her and slams his lips down on her own moving their lips together as they share their first kiss before he finally pulls back after a few minutes "Never hide something like that from me again" he orders.

While he had bravely done this 'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, please don't kill what the hell am I thinking she's definitely gonna murder me for this' that was going through his head he mentally cringes when she smiles sweetly at him "I promise Shikamaru there's something else you should know" Sakura cleared her throat as she got ready to finally tell Shikamaru her news "You see the reason I wanted to spend all day with you today was because tomorrow morning I'm leaving on a 3 year training trip and I wanted my last day here to be filled with memories of you" Sakura finally admits.

"Oh Sakura your a troublesome woman but I think in this case your definitely worth that trouble" Shikamaru chuckles before pulling her into a hug that would be considered indecent in public and peck her quickly on the lips again "When you come back Sakura will you be my girlfriend and go out on dates with me" he asks when he pulls back after their second kiss "Fuck yeah Shikamaru" Sakura squeals happily 'Told you he would accept you' Jashin's smug voice comes from within causing her to internally pout.

"There you go is there anything else I should know just for the sake of being honest with each other" Shikamaru peers down into her green eyes from his height 'Oh Saku-chan tell him about how Gaara stole your first kiss' Inner appears grinning mischievously "Well when I left the village to train with my sensei before the final rounds in tanzaku town Gaara kinda sorta stole my first kiss" she blurts out having no control of her mouth as she echoes Inner's words "That's ok Ino kinda stole mine she said that it was practice for when she married Sasuke" he admits dryly.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha" Sakura laughs faling down and rolling on the ground at his admittance a few minutes later she stands again wiping away her tears of laughter "Is there anything else we should know about each other" Shikamaru asks rolling his eyes as a few giggles escape from between Sakura's lips every now and then "Remember my ritual the part about sacrifices" Sakura sighs getting ready to tell him about "Oh that part yeah you saying you've sacrificed someone" Shikamaru asks curiously.

"3 people and each of them deserved it they weren't good guys I promise I only off the bad guys" Sakura admits "I would expect nothing less of you Sakura-chan" Shikamaru nods 'That's what happened to the sound guy' he internally smirked 'That's my girl' he thought proudly already thinking of Sakura as his "Who was your first sacrifice" he asks as he takes her hand and twines their fingers together as they head towards the entrance of the arena "The sound guy Dosu Kinuta" Sakura gives him a smile before swinging their hands back and forth between them.

Instead of commenting he brings their hands up and quickly pecks the back of her hand as they walk down the streets of the village "Oh hey Shikamaru there's something I want to ask" Sakura finally spoke up a few minutes later "Sure go ahead" Shikamaru glances at her from the corner of his eyes "Do your parents like pets" she asks randomly causing Shikamaru to pause "Yeah I believe so" he finally answers after a few seconds "Will you take care of my baby ferret for me until I get back" Sakura finally asks.

"Absolutely though it will be a drag I think my mom would love the little a pet that she didn't have to buy what's his name" Shikamaru rambles before asking "Oh his name is Sasuke" she giggles as they enter Naruto's apartment "I see" Shikamaru grins teasingly "Yeah well here you go and I'll see you when I get back" Sakura gives him a tight lipped smile while handing over Sasuke as he gives her another quick kiss bidding her goodnight as she heads home spends one last evening with her family and then leaves the village the next morning with Hidan, Jiraiya and Naruto.

-With Orochimaru-

"That pink-haired girl has ruined everything" Orochimaru wheezes out as he sits in the bed dripping with sweat as his body is racked with agony "Lord Orochimaru what will you do now that Sasuke is no longer available" Kabuto pushes his glasses up his nose "She lost me my container and so she will pay the price" Orochimaru snarls out coughing up blood a moment later as his lungs struggle to keep giving him oxygen smiling Kabuto nods "Indeed she shall" he echoes Orochimaru's orders while giving him a cup of medicine.

"In a few years time she'll start losing everyone she's ever cared for" Orochimaru hisses out like the snake he was "Of course Lord Orochimaru" Kabuto chuckles darkly taking the cup away when the man started talking again the left over medicine dribbling down his chin "Starting with the Uzumaki boy she seemed to care for him the most" Orochimaru snaps as Kabuto exits the room leaving Orochimaru's side so he could rest.

Outside the room Kabuto's evil facade drops keeping his thoughts to himself as he walks through the underground hideout and it's labyrinth 'This is not good if we start killing people she cares about I'd hate to see what she does to the one who kills them' Kabuto thought with a shiver as he entered his lab 'I saw what she did to Dosu and it definitely wasn't pretty' Kabuto slid down in his chair as he remember the mangled and cut up body of the sound genin when Kidoumaru brought him in on his orders.

Heaving a sigh he takes his glasses off and rubs a hand down his tired face before scribbling a note to send in the future to Sakura to warn her of the impending doom that would be headed her way before setting it down somewhere he would remember and makes up a pot of medicinal herb tea before walking over to the boy covered in a white sheet "Kimimaro-kun time for your medicine" he smiles at the sick boy.

Watching Kimimaro drink the tea he knew the teen wouldn't make it Kimimaro was to far gone so when he took the empty cup back he allowed a small smile to play on his lips and he chuckled when Kimimaro's eyes widened in surprise before turning away so that he could get back to his paperwork jotting down a note in his book about Kimimaro's health deteriorating even further even with the knew medicine eyes flitting through old notes as he tries to come up with a new medicine, that's the last we hear of Orochimaru for a long while.


	38. 3 Years of Training Part 1

As soon as they got a few miles outside the village Jiraiya and Naruto split off and headed in another direction with a wave "Where to first" Hidan asks without a single cuss word causing Sakura to shake her head "What I've been practicing control" he pouts a moment later "Let's go to the Hidden Sand Village I know we are only required to stay 2 months but do you think we can stay 6" she brightens up at the thought of seeing Gaara though she already missed everyone "Sure Sakura" Hidan smiles glad to use his memory of the lands again.

With that they headed towards the Land of Wind eventually the tree's started disappearing until there was none left and their feet touched sand but they kept going stopping during the night and they hurrying through the heat 'Boy am I glad I bought those lighter clothes' Sakura thought taking a drink of water from her bottle and stowing it back in her bag "We're almost there Sakura" Hidan was barely feeling the heat because he was used to working under ridiculous conditions but he was surprised Sakura was handling it as well as she was.

A few hours later Hidan pulled Sakura to a stop right as someone jumped down in her previous place "Halt who are you" the Village guard asks the two strangers "We are here on the request of the temporary Kazekage" Hidan pulls out a scroll and hands it over to the guard "We've been expecting you" he says after a few minutes leading them down into the village once they pass through and to the Kazekage tower so that they could check in "The Kazekage is in a meeting right now" the secretary pipes up with a glare at the strangers.

"No he's not Mai" someone walking by scolds gesturing for the two to follow her up the stairs and down the hall "Baki-sama the Leaf Shinobi have arrived as you expected" she opens the door ushering them in and then closing the door behind them "I'm glad you dressed lightly it does get quite hot here" Baki gives Sakura a smile "Here is the information with your living quarters Gaara will be your escort" he hands over two room keys before calling out to Gaara who enters the room wearing something different than before.

"I'm warning you now the Hokage sent me a message and so we can establish better connections between the villages Hidan you'll be sent on missions on the village elders whim" Baki calls out before the silver-haired man could fully leave the room "I know" Hidan clenches his hands into fists to prevent himself from cussing and closes the door a second later and catches up with Sakura happily chatting with Gaara halfway down the hall smirking when several people cringe as she throws her arm around his waist in a hug.

"How have you been Gaara" Sakura finally asks after their side hug "I've been doing well" Gaara allows a small smile to form on his lips "Kankurou is still an idiot though and Temari was sent to the Hidden Rain Village" he sighed a moment later internally he was having fun freaking people out 'Gaara ask her if she's with that pineapple head yet' Shukaku snickers from within "How have you been doing Sakura" Gaara asks instead "Amazing Shikamaru asked me to be his girlfriend when I get back" Sakura squeals excitedly clapping her hands together.

Minutes later he stops in front of a homely looking motel "This is where you'll be staying you have your own separate rooms" Gaara lists mindlessly giving Sakura and Hidan a nod before heading back to report in "Come on Hidan, I want to train a bit today maybe teach me how to use my scythe" Sakura suggests heading into her room a moment later she emerges with said scythe attached to her back "Fine brat" Hidan rolls his eyes 'That is what we are out here for anyway' he sighed shucking off his cloak and throwing it in his own room.

Finding a training field wasn't very hard as a few minutes later they stumble upon one "Ok Sakura attack me and I'll tell you what you need to improve on" Hidan orders as they face each other "Alright" she yells a moment later unhooking the scythe and giving it a spin with her wrist before charging at Hidan with frightening speed 'Where the fuck did she learn that' Hidan thought side-stepping her at the last minute the blade nicking his skin as she pulls herself to a stop and swings around throwing the scythe at Hidan.

The scythe flew at Hidan who barely stops it with his bare hands "Ok where and when did you learn how to move with a weapon like that" Hidan asks a moment later "Well those few weeks I was with Lady Tsunade Mifune-san taught me a few techniques and I just applied them to my regular fighting style though I can tell I have a long ways to go" Sakura said with a pout "Well there aren't to many openings in your regular fighting style brat so your better than you give yourself credit for" Hidan praises causing Sakura to smile.

That's how the next few weeks go Hidan teaching Sakura how to use the scythe as an extension of herself and he getting more cuts than he could count because she was most definitely improving "Ok brat let's head back to our rooms now" Hidan announces with a hiss as her scythe cuts him for the millionth time that week "Alright Hidan" Sakura stowes her scythe in the sealing scroll as she stands from her crouch rubbing her aching joints as they walk towards the motel they were staying in.

A few steps away from entering their individual rooms Baki jumps down in front of Hidan and hands him a scroll "It's your first mission it will take 5 days maybe less if you hurry" Baki orders "Looks like your gonna be on your own for awhile brat" Hidan chuckles when Baki had headed back to the tower "I promise to train even harder in your absence" Sakura vows giving him a hug before he disappeared to get started with his mission and Sakura heads in feeling suddenly very lonely "Hey Sakura" Gaara greets from inside the room.

"Gaara" Sakura squeals suddenly very happy that at least Gaara was still here "I take it Hidan has left" he asks sitting on the couch next to Sakura "Yeah it kinda sucks a little bit" she sighed sadly "Want to spar" he offers a distraction "Hell yeah" Sakura jumps up completely forgetting the fact that she was sore and drags Gaara out of the motel room door with her as they run back to the training field "Weapons or just taijutsu" Sakura pants "How about just taijutsu" Gaara suggests and Sakura nods settling into a different fighting stance and then jumping forward.

Their spar drew spectators from all over the village including the elders Chiyo and Ebizo both were amazed that someone could go toe-to-toe with Gaara and come out unscathed most of the villagers were just thinking 'She's gonna die' but all of them are proved wrong when Sakura falls over in exhaustion sand cushioning her fall as Gaara stares down at her "You have improved if your able to hold your own against me for that long" he helps her up before turning and blinking at the amount of people gathered at the edge of the field.

The next day Sakura decides to rest and wander about the village looking for gifts to bring back for her friends she had just passed a little weapons shop when the window cases draw her back interest shining within her eyes at the little puppet that stared back at her "Oho" the sudden exclamation startles her and she swings around to face an old lady "Hello Ma'am" Sakura greets politely her eyes flitting to the side to stare at the puppet again "I see you hold an interest in puppets my dear" the woman laughs before pulling Sakura into the shop.

"Who are you Ma'am" Sakura asks once the two are in the shop "My name is Chiyo I'm an elder of this village" the woman responds flippantly pausing in her conversation with the shopkeeper for a moment before continuing and then she pointed right at the puppet Sakura had been staring at while Sakura knew better than to respond negatively 'I can't believe she's an elder' she thought staring at a weird weapons scroll 'It's perfect for Tenten' Sakura thought grabbing it and rushing to the counter to buy it.

When she was finished sealing it in a scroll labelled gifts Sakura turned only to have the puppet shoved in her face "Uh Lady Chiyo" she asks in confusion "It's yours now so take good care of it and here's a book on puppetry I expect you to practice a few times a day" Chiyo orders "Of course Lady Chiyo" Sakura gives the old woman a smile before skipping out of the shop to find a spot to practice several minutes later she finds a much smaller training field that would be just perfect to start off her puppetry training.

Several days later upon Hidan's return Sakura decided to show Hidan exactly how much she had been training and as soon as he had woken up to go train instead of pulling out her scythe she would save that for later she anchored the little puppet to her shoulder before pulling out two shuriken to attach invisible chakra strings and then she threw the two before thrusting to kunai into the ground confusing Hidan and then she worked the little puppet to blow out smokescreen decreasing visibility.

A few minutes later Hidan hears the air move behind him and he tries to move only to find himself stuck 'What the hell why am I stuck what is going on' while he was struggling Sakura sent a punch to his back and sent him careening forward through the smoke which dissipates a second later to reveal Sakura smirking triumphantly her fist still raised as Hidan turned around to stare at her in shock "I see you've been practicing" he finally says dusting off his pants as he stood when Sakura throws herself forward to fly into a flurry of punches and several kicks.

Feeling blood drip down his arm he looks down seeing the cut 'When the fuck did she hit me with her scythe' Hidan furrows his eyebrows in confusion looking at Sakura closely only to find the little puppet missing from her shoulder and her fingers moving he almost smashes the little puppet as it flies at him from behind but he holds himself back and ending the training session "You've gotten good in the last few days why don't you take the rest of the day off and visit your little friends" Hidan orders heading to the tower while chuckling.

The minute Hidan had given her the freedom she rushed off to find Gaara "Gaara-kun" she laughs jumping over the side of a building to land next to him "Want to play" Sakura snickers mischievously "Depends" Gaara responds pale green eyes reflecting his own amusement "Well we could practice our tracking abilities just make it a game of hide and seek and there we go" Sakura grins widely when Gaara nods "Dibs on hiding first" she calls out suddenly vanishing in a flash of light momentarily blinding him 'Girls I don't think I'll ever understand them' he thinks with a sigh as he searches for Sakura's chakra only to blink in confusion when he can't find it 'Huh usually I can always find her but even my sand is completely useless' Gaara pouted as he walked through the village on foot 'Guess I'll search this way' he decides in exasperation.

As the day wears on getting hotter and hotter Gaara still couldn't find Sakura and after exhausting all possible hiding spots in the village he sulks "Alright Sakura I give" Gaara announces to the air a few minutes later sand that he recognizes very well drops a piece of paper in his hands *Use your senses you dork doesn't something seem strange* was all it said and so Gaara takes another look around his village finally realizing what that flash of light was and releases the genjutsu that Sakura had put on him a few minutes later he finds her.

"That was mean Sakura" he chuckles "Got to get genjutsu training in Gaara-kun" she quips in amusement before reaching out and plucking a strand of his hair of his clothes "Ok your turn Gaara you go hide" Sakura pushes him gently in a random direction 15 minutes later she begins her search first she searches for his chakra only to find that he was masking it perfectly and then she tries to use the sand around her wrist only to find it useless at that moment 'Fine I guess I'll search for him this way' Sakura thinks with a smirk.

Biting down on her thumb she swipes the blood on her palm before summoning "Hey you aren't Tomo-kun" Sakura blinks in confusion as a much larger moth appears "I'm sorry Sakura-sama, Tomo-sama is sick so I came in his place I'm Lilith" the female moth explains before introducing herself "Well Lilith-chan I need your help my friend is hiding and I need to find him" Sakura frowns internally at this new moth "Is it a game of hide and seek" Lilith asks "Well yes I have his scent here" Sakura answers holding out the hair she had sneaked from Gaara.

"I suppose I could give you a few hints" Lilith finally relents "That would be wonderful Lilith-chan" Sakura exclaims happily finally getting Lilith to let out a soft laugh at her mistresses excitement "Craggy rocks 200 ft to the left of the tallest building in this village" Lilith explains before poofing out of existence while Sakura thinks on the hint before she gets it and disappears laughing to appear next to the training field that was exactly 200 ft away from the Kazekage Tower and spies red hair to the left of her "I found you Gaara" she snickers out.

Found Gaara comes out with a pout on his lips "That was fun Gaara we'll have to do that again sometime" Sakura gives him a quick side hug while letting out a yawn just as Hidan appears "Thanks for keeping her company" Hidan thanks him gruffly before picking Sakura up despite her complaints and walks back towards the motel setting her down in her own room before going to his when he was gone Sakura hopped up from her bed took a quick shower then put on the lightest clothes she had curling up in the center of the bed.

They'd been in the Hidden Sand Village for 4 months Sakura had turned 14 the week before and Hidan decided to give her a couple of days off for training so hard and he had a mission with Gaara for the next couple of days, Temari had returned 2 months ago so when Hidan and Gaara had left the village Sakura located the blonde female "Hey Temari-chan" she greeted when she found the older girl exiting the Kazekage Tower "Sakura-chan want to go for a dip in the hotspring" Temari immediately offers upon seeing the pink-haired girl.

"Hell yeah Temari-chan" Sakura yells excitedly causing the other girl to laugh as they head towards the only hotspring the village had when they entered towels wrapped around their hair and bodies their cheeks heated up when they realized it was a conjoined hotspring so that meant both male and female were there "Um Temari-chan can you like never mention this to Shikamaru like EVER" Sakura hissed softly to the older girl who quickly nodded as they waded into the water and over to an empty spot for some privacy.

"So Sakura-chan why did you just mention Shikamaru unless your with him" Temari asks when she realizes what the younger girl had said "Not yet but there's a marriage contract between us and when I get back to the village we'll be an official couple" Sakura sighed out happily remembering the few kisses they had shared the day before she had left "What's with the sigh it sounded like a girl in total love" Temari squealed softly happy for her friend "Well I spent the whole day with Shikamaru before I left and we might have kissed a few times" Sakura admits.

"Oh you lucky girl" Temari fans her cheeks at the thought of getting kissed and being so in love with one person "It was amazing Temari-chan" Sakura whispers shyly the rest of the time they spend in the hotspring was spent in silence when they left the two girls went their opposite ways Temari back to the tower and Sakura to the training field she just couldn't not practice with her little puppet that had been upgraded slightly in the last couple of months and she really wanted to work out a few kinks in her chakra strings they kept appearing no matter how much she tried to keep them invisible.

A couple days later she is summoned to Baki's office "Sakura-san" the man was clearly nervous about something if his pacing was anything to go by "A few hours ago we received a message from Gaara stating that he and Hidan had been captured and there was no possible way for them to escape as their chakra has been suppressed" Baki explains sadly cringing back as killing intent fills the room and then suddenly it was gone "Please let me go after them Kazekage-sama" Sakura bows lows.

When she rises Baki could see the repressed rage in her eyes and he shivered lightly in fear 'At least she's being polite about it' he thought "Do you think you can handle this mission Sakura-san" Baki asks instead of answering her question "I know I can Gaara and Hidan are very special to me but I won't let my feelings interfere with the mission" she stared at him rage replaced by determination "Well then consider yourself an honorary member of the Hidden Sand Village and put on this headband your first mission is to save Gaara and Hidan" Baki orders.

Taking the headband Sakura replaces it with her own and stows hers in a scroll for safe-keeping before disappearing after it was firmly tied around her head packing for the short trip because she wouldn't be spending more time than necessary on this mission before heading out of the village once she reached a spot far enough away she sat down in the sand and concentrated all of her chakra before biting her thumb and swiping her palm "Plume Moth Summoning Jutsu" she calls out pouring her chakra into the summoning.

Meanwhile Hidan was coming to 'Bastards I can't believe they got the drop on me' he cursed at them in his thoughts before realizing it was only a matter of time until Gaara brought reinforcements "Are you awake" Gaara asks the very person he was just thinking about "I can't believe you got caught I told you to fucking run you little idiot" Hidan jumped up in an angry rant while Gaara just stared at him blankly "If Sakura gets hurt it will be your fault I told you I could fucking take care of myself" he waved his arms above his head narrowing his violet eyes.

"I couldn't let anything happen to you" Gaara admits feeling guilty now "I swear your an idiot and I have no idea what Sakura see's in you" Hidan leaned against the wall rubbing a hand down his tired face "Ok I'll tell you one more time I'm immortal I can't be killed" he announced flatly watching Gaara's eyes widen "Oh" Gaara grimaces right when their cell door squeaks open "Well the Hokage knows your captured now" their captures announce waving a letter in their faces that was from Tsunade herself.

With Kimimaro Kaguya he had been deemed dead by Kabuto when really the silver haired bespectacled man had cured him of his illness a week earlier he had started having doubts about remaining under Orochimaru's servitude and so Kabuto had given him a way out "Find Sakura Aburame and stay with her" he had ordered Kimimaro and when he had asked what this person looked like "Her most defining feature is her pink hair you can't miss her" Kabuto had told him with a small chuckle and so with a sigh Kimimaro had disappeared.

He had searched for rumors of a pink-haired female and heard that such a person was in Wind Country and that's where he was headed currently he was probably 1,329 ft from the Sand Village when he passed by a person that was sitting on the ground but with the sand being blown around he had to squint to see her, his eyes widened in surprise when he realized just who she was and like Kabuto said she had pink hair nodding to himself Kimimaro made the decision to approach her.

"Excuse me" Kimimaro cautiously walked up to her interrupting her conversation with the giant moth and causing her to spin around and look at him warily "Who are you" Sakura asks she had summoned a much larger moth named Maru when she was called out to "My name is Kimimaro Kaguya you are Sakura Aburame correct" he introduces himself putting Sakura on even more edge by saying her name "Yes how did you know my name" she hisses angrily which makes Kimimaro wary while remembering something else Kabuto had told him.

"Whatever you do don't tell Sakura about who told you her name or who you worked under" Kabuto warned him before he left "I heard people talking about you near the village" Kimimaro explains easily "Oh well um I'm kinda busy" Sakura dismisses him by turning around to talk to the moth that was still waiting "So I have one of their scents do you think you can track them Maru-sama" Kimimaro hears her ask this with a pleading sort of tone "If your willing Sakura-sama I'll help you find whoever it is your looking for" he offers and she pauses.

While the two humans had been talking Maru was analyzing Kimimaro "I agree Sakura-sama you should let him help you and who do you think your talking to I'm the great Maru I'm the best tracker I can track scents 2 months old a couple of days is nothing for me" he boasts proudly "Thank you Maru-sama and sure Kimimaro-san you might want to hop on we are going to fly" Sakura tells Kimimaro while thanking Maru all in one breath "Of course Sakura-sama" Kimimaro bows his head before climbing the gigantic moth to sit behind Sakura.

"You better hold on Kimimaro-san" Sakura yells over the sound of Maru flapping his wings as they gain height and take off in the direction that Gaara and Hidan were being help captive "Here we go Sakura-sama hold tight" Maru hollers up to them and takes off at alarming speed causing Kimimaro to wrap his arms around Sakura's waist as she grabs hold of the collar that Maru was wearing 30 minutes later they arrive at a run down building that was crawling people as they hovered high in the air.

Looking around Sakura realizes that they had just traveled 3 days in only 30 minutes and were back in fire country as she tries to come up with a plan "Hey Kimimaro what are you good at" Sakura yelled over the sound of Maru's wings flapping lazily in the air looking down he could see what would prompt her to ask him such a question "I use a bloodline limit don't worry I'll handle it Sakura-sama" he gave her an extremely small smile before swinging his legs over the side of the moth and jumped off to land in a tree silently.

A few seconds later the people on the ground fell over and Sakura ordered Maru to land on the ground "That was cool Kimimaro-san" she flashed him a brief smile before storming into the building and running down the halls which were strangely empty Kimimaro following her at his fastest run as they flew down stairs until they reached the bottom floor that held doors with barred windows coming to a stop they sneak down the hall until they hear voices coming from within one of the rooms.

Sakura was getting angrier and angrier at the conversation when finally she couldn't take it anymore and with a burst of purple and silver chakra slams the door open splintering it causing Kimimaro to duck but follow her into the room missing the seal she had placed on the door to prevent anyone from leaving while she punished those that dared mess with her precious people seeing the expression of pure fury on Sakura's face Hidan grabs Gaara and throws them against the wall knowing that she wouldn't waste much time in sacrificing the two heathens.

She was seething with unadulterated rage and it was suffocating the two who had captured Hidan and Gaara stalking forward she grabs two individual kunai before nicking both and ingesting their blood causing them to cringe in disgust and try to escape through the door only to find it sealed only turning back around when Sakura starts laughing as she creates the symbol on the floor in her blood "Prepare to meet Lord Jashin you heathens" Sakura hisses sitting in her circle with the upside down triangle.

"Oh Mighty Lord Jashin, by whom all things are set free, I cast myself utterly into thine arms and place myself unreservedly under thy all powerful protection" Sakura slashes her throat cutting off their screams before continuing unhindered "Visit justice and vengeance upon those who seek my destruction render them powerless and devastated" she takes a deep breath blood spilling down her throat and staining her clothes as she slices up both of her arms both of them screaming silently as she had slashed through her vocal cords but because of Jashin she could still talk.

"Fill my soul with thy invincible power, strengthen me so that I may persevere in your service Oh Mighty Lord Jashin" Sakura finishes raising the kunai pressing the kunai agonizingly slow into her heart prolonging their pain before falling over silence fills the room as the rooms remaining occupants two waiting in impatience and the other in horror at what he had just witnessed 'So that's why he warned me like he did' Kimimaro thought before his eyes focused on Sakura who sat up with a groan filled of pleasure.

Clean like usual after one of her sacrifices and all the wounds healed the group of four head out of the run down building and climb onto Maru 30 minutes later they land a hundred feet outside the sand village dismissing Maru with a wave Sakura leads the way into the village Kimimaro opting to stay outside because he didn't have clearance into the village "Just wait Kimimaro I'll get you in" Sakura told him with a smile before walking past the guard that moved back to stand at the entrance of the village to prevent anyone from following them.

Walking into Baki's office 2 and a half hours after she had left caused quite a riot people hadn't actually expected her to complete the mission in such a short amount of time when the meeting was over Sakura walked up to Baki and held out the Hidden Sand Headband but he just gave her a wave "Keep it Sakura your an honorary member now" Baki explained with a smile "Oh that's right there's an acquaintance of mine outside the village could you send a letter to the guard to let him in he can stay with Hidan" Sakura asked.

"Of course Sakura" Baki smiled at her again scribbling a note and handing it to his secretary and with that Kimimaro was added into their small group another bed being added in Hidan's motel room the next few weeks Sakura practices her taijutsu skills against Kimimaro until it reaches the 5th month that they had been in the Hidden Sand Village when Hidan tells her to pack up because they needed to head to the next village the next few days Sakura runs around the village buying gifts and stowing them in her scroll saying goodbye to everyone she knew.

One the day of their departure Baki, Gaara, Temari and Kankurou came to see the group of three off "Here Sakura I heard about your little puppet collection" Kankurou smirked holding out a scroll for Sakura yes she had added a couple more little puppets into her collection "And this is from me Sakura-chan" Temari holds out a mini version of her fan and Sakura smiles knowing exactly how Shikamaru would react when he saw it before turning to Gaara who holds out his hand and Sakura takes it feeling sand be added to her wrist as it changes forms.

Smiling as her arm adjusts to the new weight Sakura pulls Gaara into a quick hug "You can use the sand as a weapon now" Gaara adds when she releases him and she gives him a nod stepping back "This is my gift to you Sakura-san" Baki holds out a scroll "Any time your in trouble just open this scroll it leads to a safe house on the outskirts of this country" he explains when she takes it "Thank you Baki-sama" Sakura gives him a bow after a moment she stands gives them a wave with that they were gone.


	39. 3 Years of Training Part 2

5 days away from the Hidden Cloud Village the little group had been traveling for almost a month 'We just had to get stuck in the middle of a rainstorm' Sakura sulked forehead pressed against a window as she watched the storm "Sakura-sama come eat" Kimimaro called from behind her 'Oh yeah there's that guy to' she sulked even further ever since Kimimaro had joined them it had been 'Sakura-sama this, Sakura-sama that' and it was grating on her nerves 'I don't think the maids at the compound could drive me this crazy' Sakura released an aggravated sigh.

Hearing the sigh Hidan looked up from his own meal fighting with himself to keep the smirk off his face "I wouldn't bother her anymore unless you want to die" he warned Kimimaro who was about to speak again but quickly snapped his jaw shut at the warning "Good boy oh I would also stop calling her Sakura-sama, I think after knowing her for this long you've earned the right to just call her Sakura" Hidan adds wisely causing Kimimaro to stare at him nodding his head good deed done for the day Hidan eats more glad for the silence after a month of non-stop chatter.

While Hidan was eating and Sakura was staring out the window Kimimaro was thinking on what he had just learned before nodding instead of eating Kimimaro stood up and went to sit next to Sakura to watch the storm eyes immediately narrowing when she tenses at his proximity "I'm sorry Sakura" he apologizes causing her to look at him in surprise "Oh it's alright Kimimaro it's just I have enough people calling me that and out here I was free of the title of being a clan heir" Sakura smiles sheepishly "I see" Kimimaro nods in response as they allow silence to reign.

Five days later they finally reach the gates of the Hidden Cloud Village "What do you mean we can't get into the village I have the scroll from the Hokage signed by your Raikage that will give us entrance to the village" and Hidan was arguing with the village guard who was yelling right back and denying them entrance even after seeing the scroll "Come on Kimimaro this is gonna take a while and I have a faster way to get us in" Sakura snickers before leading the white-haired man to a spot a little ways away from the gates and performs her summoning jutsu.

"Sakura-sama" Tomo's voice calls out from the smoke that accompanies the jutsu and when it clears "Holy Hell Tomo is that really you" Sakura curses at seeing the bug that now had to be half her body length "Of course Sakura-sama" Tomo laughs as Sakura cringes at the title "Well anyways listen Tomo you remember Lord Raikage right" she asks hoping to get this over and done with so that they could get into the village "Of course" Tomo answers proudly "Can you go tell him that the group from the Leaf Village and an extra are here" Sakura orders simply.

"Absolutely Sakura-sama" Tomo flies off missing the cringe "Raikage-sama" the moth bursts into Ay's office startling a few people within at seeing the giant moth except for the few that had seen him before "Wasn't your name Tomo" Darui asks "That's right" Tomo flaps his wings in response "Raikage-sama the group from the Leaf Village plus one are outside the village" he delivers his message "Why couldn't they tell me that themselves" Ay snarls angrily slamming his hands down on his desk and breaking it into millions of pieces causing a few people to duck.

"From what I could see your village guard won't let them through" Tomo answers instantly "WHAT" Ay yells standing from his chair and punching his way through the window 'Not again' Mabui thought seeing the damage her leader had caused this time in his anger "I'm sorry" Darui rubs the back of his head nodding at Tomo who pops out of existence outside the village gates "See told you I could get us in quicker" Sakura snickered hopping up when she felt the Raikage's chakra approaching them at rapid speed until the gates slam open and he stands there angrily.

"I thought I told you idiots if you saw the group from the Leaf Village you were to let them in" Ay yells at the top of his lungs "We're sorry Raikage-sama" the guards cower in their leaders rage as Sakura walks forward to stand before him "Hello Raikage-sama" she bows politely prompting Kimimaro to do the same "I see you've gotten manners" Ay snaps leading the three into the village "Six months away from a village will give you a new perspective on life Raikage-sama" she smiles softly "Just call me Ay stop being so damn stiff" Ay snaps glaring down at her.

"Lord Ay" Sakura reiterates instantly getting a rough pat on the head from Ay as they enter his office a new desk sat in the middle of the room and the window was taped up to be repaired at a later time Darui, Cee and Mabui stood off to the side "Welcome to the Hidden Cloud Village we hope you enjoy your stay here" Mabui jumps in when it was clear Ay wasn't going to welcome them "Thank you Ma'am" Sakura bows poking Hidan in the side when he stares inappropriately at her "It's Mabui, Sakura-san" she introduces herself feeling self-conscious at Hidan's stare.

"We didn't have time to set up hotel rooms for each of you" Mabui explains "And so Sakura-san you'll be staying with Darui and Hidan-san you'll be staying with Cee" she looks up realizing she'd missed someone "And what's your name" Mabui asks eyeing Kimimaro from her spot "Kimimaro" he answers simply "No last name" Mabui furrows her brow "Kaguya" Kimimaro sighs out "Well you'll be staying with Lord Killer Bee" she finally finishes and Ay dismisses the group from his office so that he could get started on his work while someone finished the repairs.

"So how was your trip here Sakura" Darui asks as they head down a different street "It was great though 5 days before we got here we got stuck in a rainstorm and had to wait it out in a shady hotel that Hidan said was good" Sakura said with a laugh causing Darui to give her an amused grin "You sound annoyed" he frowns as they turn down another street getting strange looks that Sakura remains completely oblivious to "Oh well it's nothing to worry about now Kimimaro and I have settled that issue so we're all good" Sakura answers a few minutes later after thinking.

"He kept calling me Sakura-sama" she groans out when Darui kept staring at her "I see, welcome to my home Sakura" they finally stop in front of an apartment complex "This is cool" Sakura praises excitedly causing Darui to chuckle but lead her up the stairs and into his apartment "Now you have your own room but we have to share the bathroom" he warned showing her to her room so that she could unpack "That's ok Darui-san I'm used to sharing with my brother" Sakura answers as she sets down her bag in the room before turning to face him with a smile.

"Well that's a relief" Darui chuckles out awkwardly giving her a weird look "I'll leave you to unpack and when your done just make yourself comfortable" he gives her a wave before heading to his living room 'Hmm maybe I'll just take out a few things and leave the rest sealed in my scroll until I need them' Sakura tapped her lip in thought before unsealing some lighter and heavier clothes and putting them in the small dresser that was in the room and then she unsealed some of her weapons grabbing the mini fan that Temari had given her to practice.

"Darui-san where is the nearest training field from here" Sakura asks as she emerges from the room 10 minutes later "Your finished unpacking already" he blinks at her in surprise from what he'd heard girls took forever to do things "Well I only unpacked what I needed" she shrugged "Oh right training field if you leave here it's two street's over behind the red building" he explains when he remembers the question she had asked "Thank you Darui-san I will be back before nightfall" Sakura gives him a small wave before heading out the apartment door.

Remembering that he was told to stay with her Darui jumps up from his couch and runs out the door slamming into the girl before she could head down the stairs "Um Darui-san" Sakura squeaks out from underneath him and he looked down into pink hair "Sorry Sakura it's just I'm supposed to stay with you" he hops up before pulling Sakura to her feet "That's ok" she gives him a pained smile while rubbing her head that had slammed against the stair railing as Darui rammed into her before holding up her hand and healing the bruise and sighing in relief.

"Your a medical ninja" Darui asks raising an eyebrow as they head down the street towards the training field "Kinda I just do the simply things like heal broken bones, cuts and bruises" Sakura explains "Well I know someone who could help you improve if your interested" he offers as they go round the back of the building "Ah I'm actually more interested in improving on my fighting abilities" Sakura gives him a quick smile before sulking "I see your training Hidan" she pouts at him causing Hidan to stop mid swing "Oh I was actually waiting for you" Hidan snickers out.

"Sure" Sakura rolls her eyes giving Cee a wave before leaping at Hidan her fist raised high "Woah there" Hidan laughs dodging the fist that would have hit him in the arm "Why so serious Sakura-sama" he teases ducking when she flings a couple of regular shuriken at him before throwing out his leg to trip her but she jumps over his leg cartwheeling backwards to gain distance hearing the whirring of shuriken behind him he spins out of the way seeing the chakra strings just barely as they flicker "Focus Sakura" he calls out when they become fully visible.

"I know that" Sakura responded a moment later gritting her teeth and focusing on making her chakra strings invisible again reigning in her squeal of victory when the disappear again only to lose her concentration when Hidan comes flying at her swinging his triple-bladed scythe slicing her arm rendering it useless as she tries to get out of its range only to realize that he could just throw it and deal even more damage 'Oh' she struggles to keep the smile off of her face when she realizes what she could use to stop the scythe and Hidan all in one go and then a punch.

Willing the sand on her arm to do her bidding as she creates a smokescreen to cover her she sends it into the ground ducking and dodging and weaving when the smoke dissipates to bide her time until the sand was ready panting as she pulls out her own scythe and blocks Hidan from cutting her face Sakura struggles under the weight of Hidan's scythe using only one arm to fend him off shoving back she gains a little distance to heal her arm just enough to be usable before rolling to the side to avoid Hidan's next attack as he throws the scythe at her.

While their spar was going on Darui and Cee were talking "She's not going to win it's obvious he has an advantage over her and he's exploiting that obviously" Cee points out wincing slightly as Hidan lands another hit and his scythe thinly slices her stomach not enough to be dangerous but enough to sting "You gotta give the girl the credit she's due Cee" Darui chuckles when Sakura lands a particularly vicious punch to Hidan's shoulder and both men hear the loud crack signaling that she had broken his shoulder followed by muttered curses from Hidan.

Swinging her scythe over her head she nicks Hidan's arm wincing as more cussing comes from Hidan 'Oh I hope he's not angry at me' she thought worriedly ducking as he thrusts his own forward coming close to beheading her feeling the sand finish she smiles causing Hidan to pause in his attack and stare at her warily 'That look usually means trouble' he thought looking around carefully no longer paying close attention to Sakura as she places her hands on the ground "Hidan" she calls teasingly throwing a kunai at him to get his attention "What" he snaps.

"What's the matter" she giggles causing him to frown missing the sand wrapping around his ankles "I don't know what your up to Sakura but it's not going to work" he bravely tells her while on the inside he was panicking 'Shit, what the fucking hell is she plotting and boy am I glad I learned a few tricks from the Leaf Village such as the shadow cone jutsu' he swiped his forehead from the sweat that was trickling down his face as he prepared to end their match only to find himself stuck looking down Hidan finally realizes what she had done.

'Heh gotta hand it to the fucking bitch but I'm not finished' he smirked internally as Sakura ran at him pulling her arm back only to be sent careening into a tree as he dispels his clone before she would have hit him "Better luck next time pinky" Hidan tells her as he places his scythe against her neck "Your right Hidan, better luck next time" Sakura snickers from behind him as she dispels her own clone and goes through a set of handsigns and then a flash of light from somewhere behind her nearly blinds him as he jumps back into the fight he wouldn't let her win.

On the outside of the genjutsu Sakura drops her arms feeling exhausted knowing that her jutsu wouldn't last long she walks over and plops down next to Darui who gives Cee a look "I guess your a lot stronger than you look was that genjutsu and did I see you using Medical Ninjutsu" Cee praises her before asking her his two questions "Well genjutsu is kind of my specialty I've been trying to create my own version but so far it hasn't worked out and I know some medical ninjutsu" Sakura flashes him a smile as she answers his question before leaning back.

15 minutes later Hidan snaps out of the genjutsu "Sakura how many times have I told you..." Hidan scolds warningly only to trail off when he realizes that his apprentice was sleeping "Just tell her she did a good job" he laughs 'No wonder the genjutsu wore off she fell asleep' Hidan shakes his head before following Cee back to his house to get a little rest "Sakura" Darui nudges her gently before picking her up when she didn't even stir taking her back to his apartment was an easy task because she was light and he laid her down in her bed before turning off the lights.

The next morning he woke to a delicious aroma wafting through his apartment so shoving his clothes on Darui pads through the apartment barefoot to reach the kitchen were Sakura was cooking breakfast her pink and silver hair dripping wet "Good Morning Darui-san" she greets when she spots him standing in the middle of the living room "M'ning" he yawns jumbling the word together as he sits at the table as she places the most delicious looking pancake he'd ever seen on a plate with hashbrowns, eggs, sausage and bacon and then sets the plate before him.

"Think of it as a thank you for last night also I love cooking so that's another thing" Sakura looks up from her book briefly to see his baffled expression before explaining "I see well if this is what I get for thanks then don't mention it" Darui grins about cut into the pancake when a knock on his door interrupts their breakfast "Don't bother getting up Darui" Cee calls out entering his friends apartment Hidan following him "I see you waited for us not" Hidan sulks "I didn't think you'd get up this early" Sakura quips while rolling her eyes before spotting Kimimaro.

"Yeah pretty boy here complained about being stuck with someone else so the Raikage booted him out this morning and now I'm sharing a room with him" Hidan explained jerking his thumb at Kimimaro when he glued himself to Sakura's side "Your training will have to wait" Darui spoke up from his spot at the kitchen table "Sakura you might want to get your weapons we'll be leaving the village for a few days" he explains when Sakura gives him a strange look "Let me guess it will just be us two" she sighs when he nods but enters her room to grab her weapons.

A few minutes later she comes back out and heads over to Hidan and Kimimaro giving them a brief side hug before waiting for Darui's next order "See you in a few days guys" Darui gives them a wave before gesturing to Sakura to follow him as they leave the apartment and then the village "So what's this mission about" Sakura asks keeping pace with him easily "A group of bandits a day away from here attacked a little village we received a message asking for help this morning" Darui pushes his hair out of his face as he explains the reason for their leaving.

"Oh well that's not terribly bad" she twists her hair up out of the way as she answered Darui "We might be stuck there for a few days Sakura" he warns not wanting her to expect that as soon as the bandits were taken care of they would head back to village "That's understandable" Sakura nods at his warning this confuses Darui 'She's a weird girl' he thinks not speaking that part out loud and make her angry at him "You just thought I was weird didn't you" Sakura snorts out in amusement causing Darui to jump a little further away from her in fear of being hit.

"No it's ok your not the first person to ever think that" Sakura rapidly explains 'Why do I always open my big mouth' she jerks her hand through her bangs roughly yanking a few hairs lose as she releases a sigh "I'm not" Darui asks even more confused as he runs next to her again upon hearing her sigh "From day one ever since I became a genin all people have thought were that I was weird" Sakura shrugs "That's not something someone should ever become used to" Darui frowns "It doesn't bother me I like being the odd one out" she laughs seeing his expression.

This time he doesn't hesitate "Your weird but cool" Darui smiles slowing to a stop 'What the we shouldn't have even made it here until tomorrow' he blinks genuinely confused "Looks like we got here in good time huh Darui-san" Sakura asks looking around "Wait Sakura they don't like outsiders much and if you go in there wearing that Leaf Headband they'll attack us" Darui warns grabbing her to prevent her from going into the village "I understand but do you think you could let me go now" Sakura breathes out struggling in his arms to get some distance from him.

"Oh right anyways put this Cloud Headband on and put that away" Darui drops his arms and Sakura hops away with an embarrassed squeak before yanking her Leaf Headband off and sealing it in a scroll before reaching out and taking the new headband tying it around her head she avoids Darui's gaze "One more thing friends and comrades call each other by name so no more suffixes" he warns before ushering her into the village the first thing Sakura sees is a teen boy limping around on crutches bearing an uncanny resemblance to someone she knew.

"Hey there what's your name" she asks rushing over to him while Darui heads off to find the village leader Sakura rushes to soothe the boy when he flinches away from her and she finally gets a good look at him "Torune-kun" she blinks "Sakura-hime" he whispers upon recognizing her "That's right oh Torune I thought I'd never see you again" Sakura almost threw her arms around him for a hug when she remembered what her cousin had in his body and stopped herself at the last second "Looks like you need some help with that cousin" she smiles.

"Don't worry I know that I can't touch you but I can still heal you" Sakura reassures him as her hand glows green Torune breathes a sigh of relief as the pain in his leg fades when his partner appears and shoves Sakura away from him "Who are you stay away from him" Fu snaps shoving a kunai in her face "Hey what's your problem" Sakura growls slapping the kunai out of her face and standing her job done "Fu stand down it's my cousin" Torune orders "Why are you way out here Sakura-hime" he asks when Fu had relaxed "Training" she smiles nervously.

The two boys follow her as she goes around healing people that were hurt until Darui comes back "The Village Leader doesn't think the bandits will come back but let's stay here for a few days to help with repairs" he ruffles her long pink locks before staring at the two males that were with her "Let me guess you know them" Darui sighs when Sakura nods "This is my cousin Torune and that's Fu" Sakura introduces the two "Sakura do you know a man named Danzou" Fu suddenly asks stepping back when her chakra explodes in killing intent "Yes" she answers.

"He told us to come here and wait for his order to come back but it's been months" Fu asks missing the tone in which she used "Danzou is dead" Sakura snaps out grinding her teeth in remembrance of the man feeling her anger all three males take a large step away from her to let her calm down Torune keeping Fu from asking anymore questions and Darui wisely remaining silent as Sakura gets her anger under control a few minutes later she finally relaxes and her chakra fades seeing this Darui pulls her in for a side hug knowing how affectionate she was.

It took two weeks for the village repairs to be finished even with their help Sakura scowled as they walked back to the Hidden Cloud Village, Torune and Fu had left earlier a few days before leaving them to finish up they were half way back when they were surrounded "Hand over the girl or die" the leader of the group orders flashing a kunai at Darui who frowns "Sorry no can do, Sakura you stay back let me handle these 5 idiots" he flashes her a quick grin before pulling out his blade leaping forward he doesn't get very far when he feels a sharp sting in his neck.

The last thing Darui hears before he passes out from the tranquilizer was Sakura's scream pleading for his life and then nothing a few hours later Darui comes to with a groan of pain pulling himself up from the ground he looks around in a panick 'Uh oh this is so drab' he gulped taking off at his fastest run yet to get back to the village speeding past the village guards he runs through the village heading straight for the Raikage's tower running down the halls he flies into Ay's office "Sakura Aburame has been kidnapped" he pants out causing pandemonium.

With Sakura "Just give us the answers we want or suffer the consequences little girl" one of her captors breathes in her face causing Sakura to wrinkle her nose in disgust 'Man doesn't this guy know what a breath freshener is called' she thought internally gagging wishing she could plug her nose Sakura is broken out of her thoughts by a slap "Answer the fucking question bitch" the guy snaps insultingly thinking that it would make her cry but all she does is sit there eyes and face blank of all emotion Sakura wouldn't give her captors the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

That's how it goes for the next several hours her getting beat to the point of unconsciousness when she offers no answers to their questions 'Not that I'd be able to answer them anyway' Sakura thought wincing internally as the ropes cut into her hands wriggling to get out of them so she could escape she holds herself still when the door creaks open and another silver-haired guy walks into the room only to stare at her in surprise "Those idiots" he curses preparing to leave the room when Sakura calls out to him "Wait" she coughs out and he pauses in his steps.

"What brat" he spins and walks over to her before squatting down in front of her "Can't you help me you obviously know I don't know the answers they are after" she whispers out not wanting to alert her captors that she was talking "Sorry kid" the guy shrugs preparing to stand but thinks better of it "Unless you can offer me something" he proposes smiling widely at her "Like what" Sakura asks 'At this point I'm willing to do anything' she thought internally as she waited.

"Would you be willing to give me your body" Sakon asks the one time he leaves without his brother and he meets someone interesting "Sorry no my body already belongs to someone" the pink-haired girl whispers her green eyes staring at him sadly "That's really to bad then" he smirks standing from his crouch "Wait maybe a compromise" she hisses softly "What would you be willing to compromise" Sakon asks "If your ever in trouble I'll help you out" Sakura offered getting desperate at the thought of being left alone to fend for herself here.

'Hmm that doesn't seem like a bad offer' Sakon thought Orochimaru had been getting crazier and crazier ever since their failed attempt at taking over the Leaf Village and this girl was offering him a way out if he decided he didn't want to follow Orochimaru anymore in the near future "You got yourself a deal kid my name is Sakon" he crouches down again and quickly unties the knots on the ropes "And mines Sakura" she introduces herself softly rubbing her wrists before Sakon jerks her to her feet and over to the corner as voices pass by the room.

"Now lets seal that deal" Sakon smirks causing Sakura to stare at him warily as he pulls her closer "Wait what are you doing" she whispers in fear feeling his breath on her cheek and then a sharp prick on her wrist "Sealing the deal" he reiterates carving a mark into her skin with his nails "Now you do the same" he hisses in her ear and she quickly carves the Aburame clan symbol into his wrist before he jabs her neck and she blacks out as he escapes with her.

Back in the Raikage's office Ay had been in a meeting all day the minute he had gotten back and announced his news about Sakura being taken apparently during the two weeks they had been gone Cee, Hidan and Kimimaro had been sent out on their own mission and it was agonizing to Darui waiting for them to be called back several minutes later Ay slams the door to his office open and stalks in anger radiating off of him in waves "Why don't you explain to me what happened again Darui" Ay asks rubbing a hand down his face as he sits in his chair.

"We were on our way back and these guys surrounded us they demanded I hand over Sakura or that I would die when I jumped forward I got shot with a tranquilizer the last thing I heard was Sakura screaming for them to spare my life a few hours later I woke up and hurried back here as fast as I could" Darui explains recalling every detail he could remember Ay was about to ask something else when Mabui flew into his office "Ay-sama there's a man outside the village he has Sakura-san with him" she shouted causing the two men to jump to their feet and rush out of the office quickly.

Reaching the village gates and like Mabui said there was a man holding Sakura under one arm Darui barely caught her when he threw her at him "Tell pinky there that I'll definitely be collecting on our promise sometime in the future" the man told them before disappearing with out a sound "Let's get her to your apartment Darui" Ay orders as they head back into the village Sakura being held carefully by Darui as the two men walk up the steps to his apartment laying Sakura down on the bed he looks her over before wincing at the bruises.

A few minutes earlier Ay had left so Darui felt comfortable saying this in the silence of his apartment "They really did a number on you didn't they Sakura" he sighed out before leaving the room momentarily a second later he came back in carrying a chair setting it next to the bed "Cee you better hurry back" he prayed out loud resting his arms on the back of the chair as he sits in it backwards running a hand through his stark white hair Darui lets out a tired sigh feeling extremely guilty about what had happened to Sakura.


	40. 3 Years of Training Part 3

Two days that's how long it took for the three to get back to the village after receiving Ay's message that Sakura had been taken when they arrived in the Raikage's office he told them that Sakura was back but she was still unconscious and waiting for medical treatment at Darui's apartment so with that the three of them ran down the streets and up to Darui's apartment to start knocking rapidly on the door a moment later Darui opens it looking utterly exhausted.

"I'm so glad you guys are back" he yawned tiredly leading the three men into Sakura's room where she lay on the bed "Oh Sakura" Hidan breathed out heart clenching painfully at the sight of her laying in that bed "Yeah it's been a hard keeping watch" came Darui's response when Hidan slid down on the floor "She's fine just a lot of bruises I think she's just been resting she should come to in a few hours at the least" Cee looked her over before giving his report "Thank Jashin" Hidan whispers settling against the bed with a sigh of relief.

"Come on Hidan" Cee gestures for him to follow but Hidan doesn't move an inch "Sorry Darui I guess we're staying" the blonde heaved a sigh "That's alright if you don't mind I'm gonna get some rest let me know when she wakes up" Darui yawned out giving the three permission to stay as he left the room to crash on his bed meanwhile Kimimaro sat on the floor next to Hidan and Cee settled into the vacant chair watching Sakura closely for any signs of her waking up he wouldn't admit it but he hadn't wanted to leave anyway and he was glad Hidan was stubborn.

Silently Hidan was praying to Jashin 'Oh Mighty Jashin, God of this world, God of my flesh, God of my mind, God of my Innermost Will, Every part of this world is within your power, you are within every part of this world, every part of me is within your power, you are within every part of me, Of my own free will, I acknowledge your power, Of my own free will, I now present myself to You' he finished his prayer before sinking into his mind the black taking over as he did a ritual for the first time without using his blood.

He loses his sight for a moment before Jashin appeared before him "Lord Jashin" he bowed his head in acknowledgement before soft feminine laughter comes from behind him "Hey Hidan" Sakura tackles him and he hits the ground "Fucking bitch do you have any idea how worried I've been" he turns around a scowl on his lips and anger in his violet eyes "I'm sorry Hidan" the smile falls from her lips as tears well up in her eyes "Ah shit Sakura I didn't mean to snap at you" Hidan runs his hand roughly through his hair as he pulls the girl into a quick side hug.

"I think it's time you woke up young acolyte" Jashin ordered wanting his two followers out of his garden "Of course Jashin-sama" Sakura gave him a quick bow before disappearing followed by Hidan who opened his eyes first he realized that hours had passed and then a groan from Sakura which causes Cee to jump to his feet and help her sit up in the bed "Glad your awake Sakura" he gives her a small smile "Me too I feel like I've been asleep for ages" Sakura croaked out rubbing her throat before sipping her water Cee handed to her "Thank you" she whispers.

"Tell me Darui's alright" Sakura asks in a panicky voice a moment later when she doesn't see the man "I'm fine Sakura what happened after I passed out" Darui's voice enters her ears as he comes into the room bags under his eyes and looking like he hadn't slept a wink of sleep for weeks followed by Kimimaro "Well they took the poison out but they left you there and took me pretty far away of course I don't remember much except for the beating they gave me and what they wanted was all the passwords into the village which I didn't have" Sakura explains.

"How did you get out of there" Hidan asks he had been expecting to have to go tearing down building to find her "I made a deal with a guy named Sakon that if he was ever in trouble I'd help him out of it" Sakura shivered remembering how creepy the guy had been completely missing Kimimaro's reaction to the name "Well at least he brought you back" Hidan sighed ready to head back to Cee's "Yeah me to that jerk knocked me out" Sakura pouted in remembrance "I would suggest training even harder so this doesn't happen again" Kimimaro jumps up ready to leave.

'Wait just a fucking minute Kimimaro knows something' Hidan narrows his eyes in suspicion when he quickly leaves the room hopping up he gives Sakura a wave before following Kimimaro out of the apartment catching up with Kimimaro halfway to Cee's apartment "You know something" Hidan accuses causing Kimimaro to speed up "Not here" he hisses a moment later before Cee joins them later one after they eat a late dinner Hidan follows Kimimaro to their room and once the door shuts seals and soundproofs the entire room so as not to be heard.

"Sakon is an old comrade of mine" Kimimaro sits tensely on the edge of his bed "You know ever since you showed up I've been wary tell me where the fuck you came from" Hidan hisses glaring at Kimimaro fury in his purple eyes "Kabuto Yakushi sent me to protect Sakura-sama he gave me a way out from Orochimaru's rule" Kimimaro grinds out from between clenched teeth not liking the anger that Hidan was directing at him "YOU MEAN YOU WORKED FOR THE FUCKER THAT'S TRYING TO KILL SAKURA" Hidan shouts his chakra exploding with his anger.

"That's the key word Hidan worked which mean as in I don't any more" Kimimaro stresses standing up in his own anger "For the last almost 3 months I've gotten to know you and Sakura-sama I don't think I could go back ever again" he yells refraining from attacking to Hidan "I FUCKING SWEAR IF SAKURA GETS HURT BECAUSE OF YOU IT WON'T BE HER THAT YOU WILL BE DEALING WITH IT WILL BE ME" Hidan's face grows red with his shouts as he takes Kimimaro by his shirt and shakes him harshly in his anger.

"I promise Sakura won't get hurt" Kimimaro chokes out gasping for air as Hidan clenches a fist around his throat cutting off his air, gaining his desired response Hidan abruptly drops Kimimaro on the bed allowing the younger male to breathe again as he rubs his throat that now had a bruise in the shape of a hand print "I suggest you hide that from Sakura and everyone in the village" Hidan warns before removing the jutsu's around the room and laying down on his bed drifting into a deep sleep.

The next day Sakura drags Darui out to the training field again "Ok so if I wanted to learn what my chakra nature was how would I go about doing that" is the first thing to come out of her mouth as she faces him "Well you'd need one of these" Darui holds up a piece of paper that he luckily had on him handing it over to Sakura who stares at it curiously "I gather chakra into it right" she guesses "That's right" Darui gives her a grin, concentrating Sakura pushes chakra into the slip of paper watching as it does nothing.

"I think it's a dud" she pouts at Darui who scratches the back of his head in confusion "It was brand new" he stares at it before gathering chakra in it and it gets wet "See it works perfectly fine maybe you just can't use jutsu" Darui suggests "That's not true if I can't use jutsu then how come I can perform genjutsu, medical jutsu, and all those other jutsu's I know I have" Sakura stomps her foot on the ground "Ok maybe you have more than two chakra natures" he guesses and Sakura grabs it like a lifeline.

"Here try this one" Darui goes through a set of handsigns before calling out "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu" he calls out and a water dragon rises from the pond before dropping back in with a splash "Alright I guess I'll try it" Sakura sulks but runs through the handsigns before calling out the jutsu and then as Darui had guessed a water dragon quickly forms and rises high before it loses it's form several minutes later "We need to get you some scrolls that have jutsu's" Darui sighs out before pushing Sakura with him into town to the supply store.

Walking in he pulls her into an aisle filled with nothing but books and scrolls scratching the back of his head again he looks down at Sakura "How much money do you got on ya" he asks causing Sakura to look up at him "Oh well enough to last me a long time" she shrugs in answer and Darui starts grabbing a few books with complicated jutsu's in them and then several scrolls "Come on Sakura" he motions for her to follow him to the front of the store when she pauses in a different aisle seeing this he stops and waits.

'Naruto would love that' Sakura giggles softly as she spies the kunai chains in the shape of ramen bowls 'Ah what the heck why not' she thought grabbing a couple packages before smiling brilliantly at Darui as they continue making their way to the register "That will be 420 ryo" the lady behind the counter rings up the price and Sakura hands over the money "Now I expect you to read those books" Darui waves his finger at her as they head back to the training field that was now occupied by Ay and a man she hadn't met yet.

"That's Killer Bee he's the bosses brother" Darui tells her when he caught her staring at Bee before pulling them further down to a different spot sitting on the ground Darui stares at Sakura expectantly to which she promptly opens a scroll and reads it intently for a few minutes before going through a new set of handsigns "Earth Style: Mud Wall" she calls out softly pouring her chakra into the ground sighing in frustration as it rises a small amount "More like tiny fence" Sakura sulked "That means you'll just have to keep practicing" Darui encourages from his spot.

That's how her last month and a half goes practicing jutsu's and learning she had 4 of the 5 chakra natures before Hidan decided it was time for them to go again "But we've barely been here" Sakura gave him a sad look but Hidan wasn't relenting this time "In the last 2 months alone you've been in more danger than I can count" he scolded Hidan was right of course those bandits had attacked the village a day away again not to mention Kimimaro had slipped of to who knows where which had hurt Sakura immensely.

A few weeks later Sakura received a letter from the Hokage telling her that Kimimaro had showed up in the village but that he was alright which had of course helped some the bottom line of it all was Hidan really wanted to get out of the Cloud Village "I suppose you're right Hidan" Sakura sighed "Fine just one more day buy some souvenirs for your friends back home and for Jashin's sake girl stop whining" he throws his arms up in the air causing Sakura to laugh but nod her head in acquiesce "Thanks Hidan" she gives him a quick side hug before running off.

On her last day in the Hidden Cloud Village she practices a bit of medical ninjutsu with Cee spars with Darui and even tries rapping with Killer Bee but she fails horrible at it if his horrified expression was anything to go by and then she went through each shop and bought even more souvenirs for her friends the next day they set off and headed in the opposite direction just the two of them again "I know were we can go next Sakura" Hidan tousles her hair in his hand as he leads her to one of Jashin's temples in the Hidden Grass Village.

A few days later they enter the new village passing by a ramen shop a loud obnoxious and very familiar voice draws Sakura's attention and with a squeal of happiness she runs into the shop and pulls the boy off his seat into the biggest hug she'd ever given anyone "NARUTO" she yells in his ear startling him even more "Sakura-chan is that really you" Naruto swallows his bite of noodles before returning her hug "It's me" she laughs "You've really changed in the last several months Sakura" Jiraiya emerges staring at her with an inappropriate look.

"Master Jiraiya please refrain from staring at me like a piece of meat I'm happily in an arranged marriage Shikamaru Nara" she crosses her arms emerald eyes narrowed and a scowl on her lips to match the current Hokage when she was angry "Of course Sakura-san I meant no offense and I meant you've grown stronger" Jiraiya hurriedly tries to save himself from getting into deeper trouble "Thank you Master Jiraiya" Sakura quickly perks up giving the older man a small smile before sitting next to Naruto and ordering her own bowl of ramen.

"So what brings you here to the Grass Village Sakura-chan" Naruto asks between slurping up ramen noodles "Oh well ask him" Sakura points at Hidan completely avoiding the question "We're here to visit a temple" Hidan explains vaguely glaring at Sakura "Which temple there are lots of temples here in this village" Jiraiya calls from his seat on the otherside of Naruto staying far away from Sakura as he could "Jashin's temple" Hidan rubs his forehead feeling a headache forming at there incessant questions "You don't mean the God of Sacrifice" Jiraiya asks.

"That's the one" Hidan gives Jiraiya a smirk when he stares at Sakura in concern "You shouldn't be taking a kid to a temple like that much less a girl" Jiraiya rises from his seat to stand next to Sakura protectively he'd heard many things about this girl from Naruto and it made him just want to take her away from Hidan and make her travel with him "Master Jiraiya I assure you I can take care of myself" Sakura hisses causes Jiraiya to press himself to the wall of the restaurant to avoid the fist she swung at him.

"Can we go to Pervy Sage" Naruto pipes up innocently completely oblivious in his naivete "Definitely not Naruto" Jiraiya shakes his head no immediately causing the blonde to sulk and give him the dreaded puppy dog eyes "Fine but if you try anything Hidan I'll tell the Hokage" Jiraiya warns caves a few minutes later when Sakura turns to give him her own look "Don't worry I just wanted to show Sakura what one of the temples looked like since she's been asking so many questions about why I'm immortal" he covers for them giving Sakura a covert wink.

"That's right Master Jiraiya, I find the concept of immortality is so intriguing" Sakura adds to the story hoping that it was believable "Alright enough already we can all go" Jiraiya shouts childishly apparently Naruto was used to this because he was just rolling his eyes at the old mans antics "Come on Sakura-chan let's go see this temple" Naruto takes her hand and slips out his chair "Wait Naruto I should warn you that the Jashinists don't pray like normal people they cut themselves" Sakura explains so Naruto could understand.

"Don't tell him that" Jiraiya cries out from behind them Hidan walking ahead of Sakura 'They're going to corrupt him before he reaches twenty' Jiraiya sulked "Oh I see" Naruto says wisely "Well here you go kids welcome to Jashin's temple" Hidan gestures to the temple before leading them in "Master Hidan" the jashinists bow at seeing their honored gods favorite disciple "Stop it you guys are embarrassing me" Hidan rubs the back of his head sheepishly as his cheeks flush red "This is Sakura my apprentice" he puts the spot light on Sakura who glares at him.

'Pay backs a bitch Sakura' he sniggered behind his hand as the Jashinists once again bowed "Mistress Sakura" the said as one 'That's kinda creepy' Sakura thought "You guys don't have to bow" she gives them a tight lipped smile as they stand in unison "We've heard great things about you Mistress" one of them approaches her "We would be honored if you'd lead the evening ritual tonight Mistress" another approached holding out a ceremonial dagger and she takes it hesitantly before giving Hidan a nervous look and he steps in.

"That might be to much for her right now" Hidan slides through the mass of people to reach Sakura's side "I see perhaps another time Mistress" the Jashinist bows again taking the dagger back from Sakura who doesn't resist as Hidan leads the group out of the temple with a small wave "Well we must really be going" Jiraiya talks after several minutes of silence "Let's go Naruto you still have a long ways to go in your training" he drags Naruto off while giving them a wave as they disappear from sight Sakura turns and gives Hidan a hug.

"That was so awesome" Sakura jumped up and down excitedly "Can we go back tonight since we don't have to worry about those two anymore I really want to do that ritual with them" her eyes sparkled like the emeralds they so resembled "I knew you would that's why I was having a conversation with the head of this temple and you'll be the center of attention tonight that's why I've got to prepare you" Hidan explains leading her off in a supposedly random direction, turns out it wasn't so random it was a hotel owned by the Jashinists.

"You wash up get as clean as possible" Hidan orders giving Sakura a card and pushing her into the hotel while he headed back down the street to a clothing store knowing that Sakura wouldn't want to ruin any of her clothes so he would by her some to use for tonight grabbing a frilly white skirt that was soft to the touch and also extremely short and extremely short, shorts before shoving them in his basket before grabbing a shirt that was exactly the same that was also short it would cover her chest and that was it before grabbing a white pair of unmentionables and white open toed boots.

Finished he heads up to the counter his cheeks burning hot when the cashier rings up the clothes and gives him a flirtatious wink hearing the total he shoves some money in her direction not caring that he gives her a few ryo extra and hightails it out of the store and back to the hotel where Sakura was waiting in the room dressed in her regular clothes throwing the bag at her "Put those on and please for the love of Jashin don't complain" he pleads with her as she peeks into the bag before turning a bright red in embarrassment but quickly runs into the bathroom.

Several minutes later Sakura comes out of the bathroom glaring at him ignoring her angry glare for the moment he gestures for her to sit with her back facing him and she does so while he attempts to twist her hair up in an intricate knot so that her hair wouldn't get bloody during the ritual "Ok turn around" Hidan orders again dipping his finger in a vial of blood red gloss and painting it on her lips making her lips pop brushing her cheek delicately with a white powder putting eyeliner on both of her eyes before brushing light green eyeshadow on her eyelids.

For the finisher he puts mascara on her lashes before blowing on them gently to get them to dry quicker before sitting back and staring at her critically "Your ready" he nods giving himself a pat on the back for doing such a good job 'Man am I glad Yukina made me do this for her all the time' he thought sadly remembering his best friend from so long ago picking Sakura up despite her complaints to be put down he walks out of the hotel and down the street to the temple while Sakura struggled to be set down.

Entering the temple they receive ever more bows as the head of the temple walks towards them "Master, Mistress" he bows his head in acknowledgement as Hidan finally sets Sakura on her feet only for her to be drug to the front of the temple and sat on her knees on a cushion in the middle of a symbol she was very familiar with unlit candles at around the massive symbol surrounded her and a ceremonial dagger lay in front of her along with a bowl meant for collecting blood behind her was a statue of Jashin she suddenly feels nervous.

"Worshippers of Jashin we have gathered here tonight for a ritual that will go down in history Master Hidan has brought his apprentice before us the only other person known to have received immortality Mistress Sakura will be leading us this evening for our daily ritual if you would please pick up the ceremonial dagger and begin" he gestures for Sakura to do as he says and taking a deep breath she releases it slowly as she reaches out hesitantly and grasped the dagger in her hand.

"Black Candles Burning Jashin Invoked" Sakura began reciting the ritual that Hidan had ordered her to remember as she takes the dagger and thinly cuts her left wrist before holding it over the bowl the candles around the symbol suddenly lit as the worshippers follow her lead "Sigils drawn, flesh is cut" she continues slicing her other wrist the same way feeling the rush of pain as it threatens to consume her "An offering is made in the Master's Name" Sakura releases the next words slowly as she trails the dagger up her arm creating a thin line of blood.

"I have given you, Jashin, my life force" she hisses at the pain switching hands and trailing the dagger up her other arm "My blood spilt for your victory" she takes the dagger and makes an X on her stomach "My soul is my ultimate sacrifice to you, my master" she grits out biting her cheek harshly causing blood to pool in her mouth as she stabs the dagger through the center of the X she had made "Darkness overcomes me, and I bask in it's infernal pleasures" Sakura huffs softly dragging the dagger down her face making it look like she was crying blood.

"Your presence surrounds me, therefore I am never alone" blood spills out of her mouths as she punctures a lung with her next move "With bended knee before your alter" Sakura struggles to her knee as she turns her head bowed as she raises the dagger in offering before stabbing both of her shoulders spilling even more blood staining the white clothes "I have made eternal oaths that can never be broken" Sakura feels the strain as she falls back onto her knees as she stabs the dagger into both knee caps the blood pooling underneath her.

"May you always be glorified in everything I do, Lord Jashin" she finishes panting as she shoves the dagger into her throat before falling over in a faint as her pain turns to pleasure moments later she wakes up Hidan leaning over her and staring at her in pride "You did good Sakura" he wipes the blood of her cheek her eyes were drooping in tiredness so Hidan scooped her up in his arms expecting to hear a complaint but looking down he finds that she had drifted off to sleep so giving the worshippers a wave he head back to the hotel so they could rest.

Early in the morning Sakura wakes her body tingling with left over pleasure when she remembers something "Hey Hidan" she calls softly instantly waking Hidan "Yeah" he rolls over in his bed "I know the Leaf Village is my home" Sakura starts off explaining her thoughts "But I've never felt like I've really belonged, it wasn't the ritual more like being in Jashin's temple why is that" she asks turning her head to look at him "I'm not sure Sakura" he gives her a small smile "I want to know who I am I'm sick of not knowing" she cries softly into her hands.

"I promise you Sakura we'll find out just be patient a little longer" he winces as her cries increases "I'm sorry Hidan it's just for the first time in my life I truly felt as if I belonged somewhere" she hiccup laughs rubbing her face to get rid of the tears "I know exactly how you feel" Hidan agrees with her as they drift off back into sleep the next morning Hidan heads off leaving Sakura to her own devices he knew exactly what to get her to cheer her up while Sakura wandered around the village.

Passing by a shop something in the showcase captures her interest so she enters and heads straight to the display case it was a huge snow white wolf "Wow" Sakura whistled softly in awe not wanting to wake the sleeping wolf marching to the cashier Sakura knew what she was going to do "How much do you want for her" she points her thumb in the direction of the wolf "Sorry kid too much for you" the guy behind the register smirks "I asked you how much for her" Sakura repeated crossing her arms and staring at the cashier.

"1,999 ryo plus the training supplies which includes books, leash, collar, name tag, vaccinations, bowls all custom made of course along with a whistle and food which comes to a total of 4,000 ryo" the cashier rattles off blinking in surprise when Sakura whips out her wallet and pulls the ryo half of it being what Kakuzu had given her before they had left and hands it over to him before staring at him smugly "You said that would be all custom made right" Sakura asks and he nods dumbfounded.

Her question answered she goes around grabbing the things she would need right as Hidan enters the shop "I swear I leave you for 5 minutes Sakura and you get yourself in trouble what did you do now" he stares at her warily "I bought the wolf over there" she answered simply going around and grabbing things she'd need for her wolf "You just had to buy her didn't you anyways here I got this for your collection" Hidan hands over a Hidden Grass Headband as she heads up to the counter with her selections and starts explaining what she wants done.

"For the name tag I want Midori engraved on one side and then a green cherry blossom engraved on the otherside, the bowls I want her name engraved on each along with a green cherry blossom every thing else a green cherry blossom" Sakura explains simply "Ok kid come back tomorrow and I'll give you the rest of the stuff" the cashier tells her taking the stuff and heading into the back room as Sakura stows the headband in her scroll with her two other headbands as they leave the store.

The next day they spend the day wandering the village buying souvenirs at noon Sakura heads back to the shop "I'm here for Midori" Sakura leaned against the railing as the giant wolf is brought out of the backroom decked out in her new stuff and the shop owner hands over a scroll "That has everything you need" he says before giving her the leash "Come on Midori" Sakura rubs the wolfs snout leading her out of the village where Hidan was waiting the minute they were clear of the village Sakur takes the leash off and climbs onto her back.

"Let's run Midori" Sakura calls softly and the wolf takes off at a fast run Hidan right behind her and Sakura laughing the entire way as they run through the forest several hours later Midori slows to a stop and allows Sakura to clip her leash back on before laying down in the snow they had entered snow country and were only a few hours away from the Samurai's headquarters "Thanks Midori I bet your happy to be out here instead of cooped up in that shop" Sakura rubs her fur gently pulling out a book only to look up in shock when "Mistress I'd rather serve you than be back in that shop with that arrogant human" Midori huffs out angrily shocking Hidan.

"You spoke" Sakura asked dumbly "I'm intelligent I was captured by that shopkeeper" Midori snarls showing her teeth "That's ok Midori you don't have to go back" Sakura soothed rubbing her fur again as they bed down for the night the next day they continue making their way to the Samurai headquarters Mifune greeting them mid-way only to pause in fear when Midori stands still her crystal blue eyes scanning her surroundings he leads the group the rest of the way to the building and up to his office to get the details from Sakura about her trip thus far.


	41. 3 Years of Training Part 4

After drilling Sakura about her trip he sends them to unpack in their assigned rooms before asking Sakura to head down to the training room where she found "Kakuzu-san, Itachi-san" Sakura blinked in confusion "Hey brat" Kakuzu greets pausing in counting his money "Never mind them Sakura I want to see how much you've improved with your swordsplay these past several months" Mifune walks into the room "She's gotten pretty good so be warned" Hidan snorted in amusement leaning against the wall to watch the spar.

Smiling Sakura pulls out her black short sword adjusting to the lighter weight because she had been practicing with much heavier weapons scanning the entire room she runs multiple scenario's through her mind before settling on a simple one sneakily attaching her tiniest puppet to her arm so that it wasn't visible and then she leaps into actions sliding under Mifune's swing Sakura skids across the floor using chakra to bring herself to a stop so that she could twist her body up and swing out with her legs before twisting again cartwheeling off her hands to land on her feet again thrusting her blade at him he disappears before it touches him.

Sliding her legs apart doing the splits Sakura swings her head down hearing the sound of a sword cutting air behind her head before turning and holding up her own to block the next pushing back she knocks Mifune off balance and quickly moves in for her next attack thinly slicing his side at the close proximity he jumps back in alarm and then calls the spar "I don't think there's much I could teach you Sakura-san" Mifune gives her a small smile "Let me heal that I actually didn't think it would hit" Sakura smiles back sheepishly.

When she gets a nod from the gray-haired man she runs up to him causing the group of samurai's to tense but relax when her hand glows green and the cut on Mifune's side stitches together "I see your swordsmanship isn't the only thing you've improved on" he chuckles before turning on his heel to leave the room his assistants following him "I guess that means we get to train now Midori" Sakura grins impishly as the massive she-wolf wakes from her nap "Of course Mistress" Midori stretches before padding over to Sakura.

"She talks" Itachi was confused he'd seen summons talk even a couple of the Inuzuka dogs talk but never a wolf "Yes, Midori talks it was a little spooky the first time she spoke to us too" Hidan piped up from his spot before all three men fall silent as Sakura pulls out a scroll and unsealed it grabbing a book that held everything she needed to know "Well the first thing is the bonding ceremony it will help us in the long run not to mention it will help you connect with your chakra and it will also let us establish a life-bond" Sakura reads out in confusion.

"Mistress Sakura I would gladly create a life-bond with you" Midori gives her version of a bow before sitting in front of the pink-haired girl "Really Midori" Sakura asks excitedly before reading through several more pages on the ceremony "It says we have to mix our blood where I share my chakra with your and then you have to bite me to share your chakra through the bite the marks won't heal because it shows proof of our bond" Sakura recites from the book staring up at Midori nervously when she was finished reading about the ceremony.

"Slash your palm and the pad of my foot Mistress" Midori orders softly licking Sakura when she hesitates in hurting her before cutting the places and presses their wounds together and pouring her chakra in Midori feels her chakra spring to life when Sakura pulls away the palm of her hand healing but the wound on her foot scarring instantly "Where would you like me to bite you Mistress" Midori asks staring at her with her crystal blue eyes "My ankle so that we can match" Sakura gives a small squeak of pain when Midori clamps her jaws around her ankle.

Feeling the wolf pour her chakra into the bite Sakura sighs in relief when Midori finally pulls away lapping at the remaining blood as it scars over bonding them eternally "That's it Midori we're partners" Sakura laughs happily wrapping her small arms around Midori's head and giving her a hug "I'm glad Mistress I've been waiting for a long time for someone to come along and save me from that dreadful shop" Midori huffs out softly breathing on Sakura's face as she rubs Midori's nose "Let's train" Sakura hops up.

"Mistress do you even know what your doing" Midori sits back sounding as if she was laughing "Oh well um no" Sakura admits sheepishly "Mistress use this scroll it will teach you the ways of the wolf" Midori pushes a scroll at Sakura who takes it and reads it with interest "Where did you get this scroll" she asks after a few moments "It's part of my clan I'm the last of the snow wolves Sakura" Midori lowered herself to the ground her tail sweeping back and forth on the floor as her crystal blue eyes reflecting her sadness at being the last of her kind.

"Let's go outside I want to try out these jutsu with you Midori" Sakura lead the way outside before taking her place next to Midori she goes through a set of handsigns "Snow Style: Snow Jet" Sakura calls out placing her hand on Midori's back and fusing their chakra together to allow the wolf to use the jutsu as a wave of snow bursts forth from Midori, Sakura smirks in triumph only to sigh a moment later when the snow stops a few feet away not gaining much distance for the attack "Guess we're gonna have to work on that" Sakura rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Indeed Mistress" came Midori's response so Sakura tries the jutsu again and again and again getting better and better each time until she switches to a different jutsu "Snow Style: Snow Manipulation" she calls out focusing her chakra in the snow to form a snow ball and smirking she throws it at Hidan who turns around glaring at her "What I didn't do anything" Sakura smiles innocently at him causes give her a rude gesture behind his back as he turns around to continue his conversation with Kakuzu.

Smiling Sakura uses the jutsu again this time creating a perfect replica of herself with that she forms all kinds of things with the snow before she collapses against Midori in exhaustion having used a lot of her chakra for the day "I think that's enough practice" Sakura mumbles tiredly as Hidan jogs over to her "Used to much chakra didn't you" Hidan raises an eyebrow down at her and she nods smiling sleepily at him sighing Hidan scoops her up in his arms getting no complaints as they head back in to the warm building.

The next morning Sakura wakes up her chakra reserves had grown because of the continuous use of her chakra she takes a quick shower, bundles up before heading out of the building into the cold to practice some more finding her spot taken by Mifune she moves a little further away before using her earth style jutsu to create a spot on the ground that was clear of snow before using her sand to cushion her knees as she sat drawing Mifune's attention "May I watch Sakura-san" he asks sheathing his sword and Sakura gives a smile before concentrating.

Working more chakra into the ground she creates another spot for Mifune to sit already sweating at from the use of her chakra "Water Style: Raging Waves, Lightning Style: Lightning Blast" Sakura calls out water coming forth from the jar on the ground beside her before infusing lightning into the water making it extremely dangerous dropping the jutsu Sakura thinks for a moment before "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu" she calls out causing Mifune to stare at her in surprise as she creates a decent sized fireball before releasing it.

"Ready Midori" Sakura breathes wiping the sweat from her forehead feeling the strain of chakra use again but not willing to give in just yet "Of course Mistress" Midori moves her head up and down tail swishing back and forth as Sakura places her hand on her "Snow Style: Snow Jet" Sakura calls out sharing her chakra with Midori again as the wolf shoots out a stream of snow destroying a few tree's several feet away running through another set of handsigns "Snow Style: Snow Manipulation" Sakura huffs out forming snow targets all around.

After she was sure the snow would stay put and not fall Sakura goes through another set of handsigns "Snow Style: Snow Shuriken" she calls out again forming shuriken out of the snow and flinging them at her targets destroying them as the shurikens hit dead center dropping to her knees Sakura groans but hops up not letting the exhaustion get to her before giving Mifune a wave "Come on Midori endurance training until we drop" Sakura yells taking off at her fastest speed and running through the trees Midori right behind her.

20 laps into her run Itachi joins her offering silent encouragement as he runs alongside her driving Sakura to push herself past her limits apparently her limit was the 27th lap as she dives head first into a pile of snow as her legs give out from underneath her causing Itachi to stop not even breathing hard struggling to her feet Sakura grits her teeth and jumps up and continues on until 3 more laps and she reaches her original spot and sits down again breathing heavily before pulling her arms up and practicing even more jutsu.

When Hidan came outside he rolled his eyes and scooping Sakura up in his arms again "Sakura your pushing yourself to hard" he scolded getting a grin from the girl who starts going through the motions of her nightly ritual whispering the words until she falls asleep her breathing even and her eyelids closing in her exhaustion "That girl has a will of iron steel" Mifune chuckles seeing Hidan bring her in "Yeah a will of iron steel that's gonna get her killed" Hidan sighed out worriedly brushing her silver bangs out of her face in irritation.

The next few weeks go by in the same manner Sakura pushing herself past her limits training in everyway that should could until she finally feels strong enough to try out bigger and higher level jutsu so taking Midori out she heads to her spot the others had left it alone because she trained there every day "We are going to try something different today" Sakura ran a hand through bangs that were becoming longer her hair almost reaching her ankles in its length 'Maybe I should cut my hair' she thought briefly.

Shaking her head she mounts Midori before staring with determination "Snow Style: Snow Clone Jutsu" Sakura pours her chakra into the ground no longer needing to touch it as she uses Midori to channel her chakra creating a bunch of snow clones before going through another set of handsigns "Snow Style: Snow Shield Jutsu" Sakura calls out creating a small shield attached to her arm and then "Snow Style: Snow Armor" she creates a thin layer of snow around her body adding to her protection and then as the final jutsu "Snow Style: Snow Blade" she calls out.

A sharp blade chunin level at best forms before looking around she spies all of her hidden snow clones before ushering Midori forward twirling the snow blade with a flick of her wrist as she slices through the first then second and so on and so forth until both wolf and human were exhausted and covered in bruises "Come on Midori let's head back" Sakura smiles and pats Midori on the head feeling less exhausted feeling triumphant because it was a definite improvement as they circle back around to the front where Hidan was waiting for her.

"Hey Hidan" she greeted in confusion when he stares at her "What have you been doing battling an army" Hidan asks eyeing her bruised form "A snow clone army" Sakura snickers causing Hidan to roll his eyes "Well come on brat want to come back to the village with us for a few days and see everyone" Kakuzu asks coming to stand next to his old partner "Of fucking course" Sakura blurts out crunching a chakra restorative pill and quickly healing her bruises as they head in the direction of the Leaf Village for a quick visit.

A day later Sakura rides into the Leaf Village on Midori shocking Izumo and Kotetsu who weren't expecting her back so soon sulking when she explains her presence "It's just a quick visit until Hidan and I, move onto the next village" Sakura grins at them jumping down from Midori "This is my companion Midori" she introduces the large white wolf at her side "It's a pleasure to meet you two my Mistress often likes to talk about here so I'm happy to meet her friends" Midori speaks causing the two to stare in shock.

"See you later" Sakura gives them a wave missing their expressions as she leads Midori through the village "Wait Sakura your brother and your father are out of the village on clan business" Izumo calls out receiving a wave in response as Sakura heads further into the village walking straight for the Inuzuka compound she had a question she wanted to ask Kiba and his mother when she got in Tsume greeted her right away before staring at the massive wolf "I see you've got a friend there is she a stray" Tsume asks grinning ferally.

"Actually Tsume-sama, Midori here is my companion we're bonded for life" Sakura avoids the womans gaze "Do you have any idea what you've got yourself into Sakura-san" Tsume snarls gearing up to give the young girl the scolding of a lifetime "Of course I didn't go into this without thinking it through so thoroughly that it made my head spin Midori is the last of her kind without me she would have withered away in that shop back in the grass village" Sakura scoffed glaring heatedly at the older woman as Kiba comes down the stairs.

"What's with all the noise Ma" he appears around the corner eyes closed in a yawn scratching his belly before opening his eyes and staring at Midori in surprise but Tsume wasn't paying any attention to her boy instead the words Sakura had spoken were still ringing through her head "Last of her kind, withered away in a shop" Tsume repeats feeling sick to her stomach 'I gotta hand it to the kind that wolf really is beautiful' she thought "That's right Tsume-sama" Sakura grinds out hoping to get it through the womans extremely thick skull.

"Sakura what you've found might just be what the Inuzuka clan needs to get stronger pups" Tsume breathes out in awe "Would you mind marrying my extremely thickheaded son" the woman jokes already knowing about the contract between Sakura and Shikamaru but wanting to see how Kiba would react to her teasing "Ma" he covers his ears face turning red in embarrassment "Don't mind her Sakura she's just senile everyone knows that your in an arranged marriage with Shikamaru" Kiba ducks when Tsume swings at him.

"Let's make a deal Sakura-san" Tsume finally smacks Kiba over the head sending him toppling over the couch "What kind of deal" Sakura asks warily 'There isn't any way in hell I'm giving up Midori' she tensed at the thought "When you get back to the village let us breed her with Akamaru to create the next generation of pups ensuring that the snow wolf line lives on" Tsume offers and Sakura looks at Midori "I would like nothing more than to ensure my line lives on Tsume-sama I would be honored to breed with the pup" Midori bows her head.

"Thank you Sakura-san" Tsume gives a whoop of joy causing her own companion Kuromaru to howl at her joy "It's nothing to thank me for" Sakura scuffs her shoe shyly feeling honored about being thanked by Tsume Inuzuka "Oh Kiba, I've got some treats for Akamaru that Midori doesn't like" Sakura suddenly remembered and turned to see that the boy had righted himself "Yahooo" Kiba called softly not wanting to set off another howling fest as Sakura digs around in her pack for the scroll she had sealed the treats in, a moment later she smiles in triumph.

Finding the scroll she pulls it out before unsealing just the treats no need to show him what else he would be getting later on down the line before holding out the bag of treats that Midori refused to try "May I try giving one to him" Sakura asks looking Kiba in the eyes and getting a nod in response "Here Akamaru" she holds out a treat after Kiba had taken the back and Akamaru sniffs it before quickly gobbling it down and yipping excitedly at the delicious taste smirking internally when Midori's interest perks up at Akamaru's reaction.

She had bought another bag just for this reason and now maybe Midori would try them "Well I'll see you later Tsume-sama, Kiba" Sakura gave them a two fingered salute before walking out of the Inuzuka compound and to the Nara "Sakura-chan" Yoshino blink in surprise Sasuke on her shoulder as she opens the door to her house "Hello Yoshino-sama" Sakura bowed her head smiing softly when Sasuke leaps from shoulder to shoulder rubbing against her face dooking in excitement at seeing her after all these months.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru is out on a mission with his team right now and Sakura call me mom we are going to be related sometime in the near future" Yoshino pulls Sakura into the home chattering away drawing Shukaku's attention and he gives her a lazy wave "Would you like some tea Sakura-chan" Yoshino chatters glaring at her lazy ass of a husband "I actually just came by to see how Sasuke was doing" Sakura was cuddling the little ferret that had curled up in her arms before handing him back over and with a wave left the Nara Compound.

After her visit the next couple of days pass by in a blur and before she knew it Sakura was perched on Midori's back as they ran all the way to the Hidden Mist Village passing through a village along the way and gaining a new headband from the Star Village for her collection Zabuza meets them outside the village his bandage wraps conveniently missing as he leads them to Mei's office "Glad you could, what the hell is that" Mei jumps up and presses herself against the wall at seeing the wolf.

"Mei-sama this is Midori, she's my companion she won't hurt you or anyone in this village" Sakura soothes giving the wolf a look which causes her to press her belly to the ground her ears flattened against her head her tail moving side to side as she waits for the long auburn haired woman to calm down a few minutes later Mei sits down in her chair again her heart slowing accepting Sakura's reassurances that the wolf wouldn't attack "Is she a snow wolf" Mei widens her eyes at the realization.

"The last one right Midori" Sakura nods her eyes reflecting the sadness she felt at this fact nodding her head in agreement Midori remains silent the last thing she wanted to do was cause even more panic with her speaking "That's really to bad" Mei watches the two wolf and human standing before her desk "Yeah thats why when we get back to the Leaf Village the Inuzuka clan is going to take her in and breed her with Akamaru the companion to the heir" Sakura perks up excitedly remembering the deal she had made to help the Inuzuka clan out.

"Well I'm afraid there isn't much we can offer you right now we've heard about you from the other villages and I'm really happy that you came all this way but you don't have to stay two months" Mei sighs out causing Hidan to blink in surprise "I see" Sakura laughs softly scratching Midori behind the ears causing her tail to pick up speed and wag back and forth in happiness as her tongue lolls out "I've heard about your collection of headbands so I've made one especially for you" Mei picks a headband from a shelf and gives it to her.

"Thank you Mei-sama" Sakura looks it over appreciatively before stowing it in her scroll swiping her hair out of the way angrily when it tickles her nose and makes her sneeze "I've got a question Mei-sama" Sakura asks wrinkling her nose to keep herself from sneezing again 'I really need to cut this' she glared at it angrily gathering it up into a hand so that she could see straight "What's that Sakura-san" Mei asks watching the girl in slight amusement as she battles with her hair "Does this village have a tattoo shop" Sakura asks glaring as a few strands of hair escape.

"Yes it's just down the street from here" Mei answers before dismissing her from her office and Zabuza leads them to the tattoo shop "Hello and Welcome" the man behind the counter turns around only to frown "Sorry I don't do kids" he calls and quickly turns back around "Please" Sakura pleaded causing the guy to sigh but turn and face them again "You sure you can handle the pain pinky" he asks pointing at her with his tattoo machine grasped firmly in his hand "I'm sure I can" Sakura calls back fearlessly.

"Ok tell me what you want done, you silver have to sign for her as her guardian" and quickly thrusts a sheet of paper at Hidan along with a pencil so that he could fill out the paperwork with Sakura explained what she wanted done "Well the first is I want this seal tattooed onto my arm to make it easier to use my summons, the second one is this symbol and I want it here she points to the scarred over skin, the 3rd I want this kanji on my shoulder, the fourth I want two cherry blossoms, lime green and blood red and lastly I want a green snowflake" she finishes.

"That's quite a lot for a little girl" the man raises an eyebrow "I'll make ya a deal kid if you manage to get all 5 of these tattoo's without making a single complaint of pain, you won't have to pay and I'll throw in one more tattoo, they'll be on the house my treat" he bets smirking internally when she takes the bait "Your on mister" Sakura pumps her arm before walking over to a wall that held designs for even more tattoo's while Hidan handed over the filled out paper and stood next to her "Your crazy" Hidan dubs causing her to snort in amusement.

"Ok if your ready uh Sakura" the guy glances down at the sheet before gesturing for Sakura to precede him into a room "Ok let's start with the summoning seal first which arm do you want it on and is there a specific color you want it in" he has her sit in a chair as he pulls out bottles of ink "Left arm solid black" Sakura doesn't hesistate to answer while he preps the machin a few minutes later the first tattoo was started, Sakura had to bite her lip from giggling because the vibrations from the machine were tickling her but she manages to make it.

5 hours later the guy places the machine down finishing up her ankle that now held a green snowflake "I can't believe you sat through 5 tattoo's and didn't even make a squeak of pain" he was utterly dumbfounded "You've got some balls girly" he finally laughs missing the offended expression Sakura gives him but quickly conceals it as he waits for her decision "I want this tattooed on my back" Sakura finally hands over a picture of Sasuke the ferret while gesturing to the spot she wanted and flipped over when he gestured for her to.

A couple more hours later Sakura emerges wrapped in slightly bleeding bandages and carrying a scroll that had supplies to take care of her new tattoo's "Come on I want to buy a few souvenirs" Sakura walked off quickly skipping happily while Hidan followed her at a slow pace when she slams into the someone "Haku" she laughs bringing the boy in for a hug "Sakura-san" Haku greets politely before noticing that she was bleeding when he enquires Sakura points to the shop a little ways down the street explaining everything.

Waving goodbye to the boy Sakura and Hidan leave the village sending the next few months wandering around the country side visiting Jashin's temples that were littered here and there Sakura and Midori growing stronger each day as they practice their jutsu's and fight off bandits learning how to work as a team leaving Sakura with a feeling she had never felt before but there was one thing that was a constant point of irritation to her "My hair" she sulked as Hidan helped her remove the leaves from it from their last fight.

"Why don't you just cut it then" Hidan glared yanking a brush through the locks causing her to hiss "Hidan you didn't just ask me that" Sakura stood up hands on her hips "Every day you ask me to help you clean them it's getting insane and it's not like it won't grow back in a few years time" Hidan stood waving the brush as Sakura flipped her hair over her shoulder it almost touching the ground now with it's length "Do you have any idea how long my hair has been like this" Sakura snaps twirling a long lock around her finger.

"No but like I said it's not like it won't grow back" Hidan stressed out wanting to groan in irritation "My hair has been this long since I was 5 Hidan" Sakura stomped her foot causing the ground to crack in her anger for the past two weeks Hidan had been telling her in a not so subtle way to cut her hair and she was getting sick and tired of it "I don't care just cut it already and both of us will be happier" Hidan growls back wanting to get his point through her thick skull "Why don't you understand" Sakura throws her arms up walking away when Hidan grabs her.

Spinning Sakura around he hoped that she wouldn't knee him in the groin "Sakura I do understand how important your hair is but it's just gonna get longer and take to much time to take care of it, cut it now and you'll be much happier and in a few years time I bet it will be at least back down to your back" Hidan tries to smile reassuringly at her but steps back when her chakra swirls dangerously around her body and her anger leaks out as she faces him fully her eyes welling up with her angry tears.

"Fine" Sakura snaps missing the popping sound of the teleportation jutsu "You want me to cut my hair Hidan" she snarls and Hidan nods slowly "Well then you got your wish" Sakura glares a few tears spilling down her cheeks in her anger as she reaches up gathers all of her hair in her hand slides a kunai out of her pouch and yanks it harshly through the pink locks "There are you happy now" Sakura cries dropping the kunai as a few locks escape her hold and drift away in the breeze 'Uh oh' Hidan gulped nervously in realization.

Neither had noticed the people that were watching as Sakura waves her long hair at Hidan who stares guiltily at it "Are you HAPPY" she screeches more angry tears rolling down her face "No I'm not happy" Hidan sighs walking forward to comfort the upset teen "Your a jerk Hidan first you want me to cut my hair and when I finally do YOUR NOT HAPPY" Sakura's voice rises in volume as she says the last three words angrily rubbing her eyes as they sting and burn from her tears "This isn't how I thought it would go" Hidan frowns.

He starts walking forward again only to pause feeling the chakra of several people nearby "Sakura you need to calm down" Hidan raises his arms when a shuriken comes flying at him and he dodges it narrowly "Absolutely not" Sakura growls dangerously her chakra exploding outwards even more as her anger reaches a new height she wasn't just upset she was pissed and she was going to make Hidan understand that painfully "Stop it Sakura and pay attention to your surroundings" he orders her again and Sakura gives a shriek of fury so done with being coddled like a child.

Throwing more shuriken and kunai at Hidan she fights the urge to smirk when a few make contact "Why should I listen to you Hidan" Sakura cries angrily shaking her cut hair at him making the look in his eyes turn even guiltier "I'm sorry Sakura" Hidan apologizes "Sorry isn't going to bring back my hair Hidan" she scowls pulling her arm back to throw her hair when a chuckle enters her ears "I see we came at a bad time" Kabuto smirks pushing his glasses up his nose only to receive a punch to the face knocking him out.


	42. 3 Years of Training Part 5

Several minutes Kabuto comes to rubbing his jaw sending a pulse of healing chakra through it to relieve the pain as he stands up finding Sakura being held back by Hidan and she was struggling so much that the man was having a hard time keeping hold of her all the while she was still clutching her long pink locks in her hand "You bastard because of your precious master Sasuke is dead" Sakura spat venomously giving up on escaping and settling for glaring at Kabuto who completely understood her reaction.

Hidan seeing that another silver-haired guy was about to talk the one that was probably Sakon he shakes his head and mouths 'Don't Say anything about being affiliated with Orochimaru' and Sakon taking the hint wisely remains silent "Now Sakura that's not proper language for a lady" Kabuto antagonizes knowing that it probably wasn't the best thing to do at the moment "FUCK THAT YOU ASSHOLE SCREW BEING A LADY" Sakura shouted causing Hidan to wish that he had earplugs at that moment.

"Sakura I'm not here to threaten you" Kabuto drops his act sighing out tiredly "Are you here to die by my hand" Sakura asks smiling widely "No not yet at least" Kabuto gives her a small smile, Sakura finally calming down the veil of red rage receding from her eyes she realizes that Kabuto wasn't alone "Sakon" she blinks upon recognizing him "That's right" he smirks staring at her warily "Let me ask you one thing do you know Kabuto" Sakura asks her words dripping with malice and Sakon shakes his head prompting the others to do the same.

"We're in trouble and you promised to help me out" Sakon announces walking over to her once Hidan had released her "Of course I always keep my promises Sakon but first" Sakura smirks and reaches out to punch his arm "That's for knocking me out back in the Land of Lightning jerk" she smiles at him before welcoming the others into their group before turning and facing Kabuto again who raises his arms to show he was harmless when he gets an idea that would keep her from attacking him again.

"Sakura why don't you seal that hair of yours up and travel to The Village of Artisans ask for a guy named Touga and he'll make a weapon out of your hair so that way you don't have to get rid of it" he offers "Why would you help me" Sakura narrows her emerald eyes "I'm tired of being Orochimaru's nurse-maid and I want out" Kabuto shrugs pushing his glasses up his nose again before disappearing with a pop it was silent until "You know I think I'm gonna like you pinky" Tayuya speaks up attaching herself to the younger females side.

"I'd hope so" Sakura sighed feeling exhausted before pulling out an empty sealing scroll and stowing her hair in it before grasping her kunai and smooths her hair fixing the messy ends before tying her headband around her neck sliding a dark green hairband with blood red cherry blossoms on it in it's previous place moving her head side to side "Maybe it isn't so bad having shorter hair" she runs a hand through the shoulder length hair watching as her bangs turn silver to replace what she had cut apparently it was a permanent effect from being a jashinist.

"I'm Tayuya the fatso over there is Jirobou and four arms over there is Kidomaru and you seem to know the freak over there as Sakon and of course his freak brother Ukon" Tayuya introduces them smirking when Ukon separates from Sakon a pout on his lips "That's not very nice Tayuya saying such mean things" he sighs dramatically before staring at Sakura warily as her skin grows pale "Uh Hidan I don't think I feel so good" Sakura wipes her forehead she says slowly lowering herself to the ground feeling sick suddenly.

"YOU IDIOT I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE AROUND SO MUCH" Hidan jumps right into an angry rant as he scolds Sakura who smiles sheepishly at him "I forgot" she announces leaning her head against Midori "Hey what's wrong with pinky" Tayuya asks in confusion "Oh well before you guys got here and before I cut my hair I was in a fight with a group of bandits it's just a little poison is all nothing to life-threatening" Sakura slurs her words "Really Sakura" Hidan chuckles pulling out the cure and injecting it into Sakura's arm.

"She'll be fine in a few minutes" he sits pulling out a book to read while the cure ran it's course through the now unconscious Sakura a few minutes later she sits up "Mistress are you feeling well" Midori asks and Sakura nods "Much" she giggles happily hopping to her feet "Come on Hidan I want to get to that village Kabuto mentioned" she calls getting up on Midori to run "I don't think that will be possible we've got incoming" Sakon called instead of Hidan moving to stand next to the giant wolf.

"Jashin fucking damn it" Sakura curses sliding off Midori "Damn heathens just can't leave us alone" she mutters angrily going through a set of handsigns right when another group of bandits appears "Snow Style: Snow Shuriken" Sakura calls out and snow forms mid air in the shape of shuriken only to be sent flying in their attackers direction hitting with deadly accuracy killing 3 of 7 before Sakura gets back on Midori with a smirk and another set of handsigns her snowblade forms as the wolf takes off running.

Several minutes later they circle back around "Damn girl your freaking amazing" Tayuya whistles in appreciation "That's not even half of what I can do" Sakura slides back off Midori to gather her bag stock full of items "Pinky, what the hell did you make a deal with me for if you could do that and escape yourself" Sakon was pissed he felt used "Oh" she turned around to face him with a grimace "Well when we met back in lightning country I couldn't do any of that which I just did I guess you could say only in the last 5 months or so I've improved" Sakura shrugged.

"Come on which way is this artisans village" Hidan sulked, Sakura was no longer paying him any attention and he hated to admit it but it hurt and it really fucking sucked 'Ok so I suppose I deserve to be ignored for a while' he finally thought while she pulled out her map of the land "It's about 3 days away from here" Sakura looked up to tell Hidan only to find him pouting "Hidan are you seriously pouting" she let out a loud laugh when he crossed his arms childishly "It's because you were ignoring me" he sulks.

"Oh Hidan I wasn't ignoring you" Sakura stood up stowing her map away and walked over to him so that she could pull him into a side hug which Hidan eagerly returns "It's this way" she poked his side leading the enlarged group in the direction of the new village a few days later they walked in and Sakura stared in horror before rushing forward and knocking the huge person off the little kid "Don't you know it's wrong to pick on little kids that can't defend themselves" Sakura placed herself between the person and the kid.

"Don't you know how to keep your mouth shut you little bitch" the guy insults hoping to make her cry "Psshhh" Sakura laughs "That word is just that another word I happen to be known as the Fucking Bitch" she crosses her arms staring at him "What kind of girl are you" he screams out running away like a coward "You go pinky you show that ass whose boss" Tayuya cheers while Sakura turns to face the little boy "Thanks Tayuya I just can't stand it when people pick on little kids" she answers while her hand glows green and heals the bruises on the little boy.

"Thank you miss your really kind" he stutters out cheeks going pink at the sight of her "Nonsense just doing what I thought was right" she pats the kid on the head as people start coming out of their homes cheering "Thank you for standing up to that guy he's been harassing us for the last several weeks" a woman says rushing over to her son "People I swear can't we all just get along" Sakura muttered under her breath before remembering what she was doing there in the first place "I'm looking for a person named Touga" she asked looking around.

"I'm Touga" a tall bulky looking man comes forward from the group "What brings you to our village of artisans miss" Touga looks down at the short pink haired girl "My name is Sakura, see I recently cut my hair but I didn't want to get rid of the locks and I was told by someone that you could turn my hair into a weapon" she explained sheepishly getting a smile out of Touga "Well because you helped us out it would only be fair to return the favor" Touga ruffled her short hair as she digs into her pouch to pull out the scroll she had stored her hair in.

Her movements draw Tayuya's attention to Sakura's tattoo's "Damn pinky where'd you get all the tattoo's" she whistled "Oh well a few months ago we were in the Mist Village and that's where I got them I have more they are just covered up" Sakura smiles widely before following Touga into his shop as he unseals the scroll "That's a lot of hair Sakura-san" Touga blinks in surprise he hadn't been expecting much "Just how did you fight with so much hair" he asks because he was really curious.

"Hidan helped me style it every day but lately it had been getting in the way no matter what he would do so I kinda cut it in a fit of anger and well here we are" Sakura smiled at him sheepishly "Well it will take a couple of weeks at best and as a sort of thank you for saving my son Sakura, you and your friends are welcomed to stay here in this village until it's finished" Touga offered "That's really nice of you" Sakura smiled again "Yes so nice of you" a man sulked over in the corner of the shop "Kakashi-senpai" she blinked in confusion.

"Hello Sakura-chan" Kakashi perks up when Sakura turns to look at him, the village of artisans had hired him to take care of the guy that had been harassing them but before he could even move Sakura had come out of nowhere and ran him off "Are you pouting senpai" Sakura asked 'What is it with grown men pouting like little children' she thought but like usual Inner didn't even make an appearance to be honest she had gotten used to not having a person in her head ever since Inoichi had searched her memories she hadn't spoken up once.

"Absolutely not" Kakashi grinned at her behind his mask "I think I like your new haircut" he teased ruffling her short pink hair "Is that a tattoo" Kakashi stopped in surprise "Try more like are those tattoo's" Hidan grumbled "How many tattoo's do you have" he asked eyeing Sakura like she was crazy "Uh technically 8 but it's more like 7 because two of the tattoo's are together" Sakura giggled "Don't tell me you got them all at the same time" Kakashi furrowed his brows together in concern while glaring at Hidan.

"Yes it's not like they hurt or anything and they healed quite nicely it's been at least 4 months since I got them" Sakura quipped oblivious to Kakashi's glare as she walks over to Touga who had started working on turning her hair into a weapon he was currently braiding the long pink locks "Well I guess I'll be seeing you Sakura-chan" Kakashi gave her a pat on the head before disappearing "You know pinky I think we'll follow that guy" Tayuya sighs out "Oh your going to the Leaf Village already" Sakura asks curiously.

"Yeah" she shrugs glaring back when Sakon glares at her "Got a problem asshole" Tayuya snaps "No" he answers simply "Let's just go already he can't be to far" Kidomaru ushers them out of the village and just like that Sakura and Hidan were alone again "That was weird" Sakura said a moment later "Yeah at least we don't have to feed them anymore" Hidan laughed causing Sakura to shake her head and roll her eyes in exasperation "Back to your offer we'd be honored to stay here" Sakura finally spoke up.

"That's wonderful there's a small hotel down the street from here that you can rest up in" Touga said not looking up from his work "Before you go could I get you to do one thing for me" he called out before they could leave "Yes, what is it Touga-san" Sakura skipped back over to him "Pour your chakra into your hair" Touga instructs watching curiously as purple and silver chakra is channelled into the hair "Thank you" he gives her a quick smile as they walk out of his shop and probably to the little hotel he had told them about.

A few weeks later he was finished 'It took a week longer than expected but it's finally done' Touga thought wiping the sweat off his forehead putting the newly forged weapon in a custom made bag that her name stitched into it and red and green cherry blossoms along with her clan symbol stepping out of the shop he runs right into the person he was looking for "Sakura-san it's finished" he holds out the bag saying the words she'd waited for 3 solid weeks to hear "What is it" she asks jumping up and down.

"It's a whip made of your hair channel your chakra into it and you'll find out what it does" Touga explains as her friend comes walking "Here it's not much but I would feel wrong otherwise" Sakura holds out a small wad of ryo and Touga takes it "Thank you so much" she gives a wave and with that the two were gone a few hours later they run into another unexpected person "Bee" Sakura eyes the older man warily because for where ever Bee was Ay was surely not far behind and like Sakura thought a second later Ay came charging out of the forest with a yell.

"Brat what are you doing all the way out here" Ay paused in his pursuit of Bee allowing the man to escape again while his brother was distracted after he asked his question he realized that she didn't look the same "Did you cut your hair" he asked next "Well that ties in with why I'm here, I had my cut hair turned into a weapon so that way I get full use out of it" Sakura announced giving a wave to Cee and Darui as they appear a few seconds after their leader "Boss, Bee escaped again" Darui said a moment later and they were off again.

"Let's go to the waterfall village" Sakura suggested next she really wanted to collect even more headbands "Sure Sakura" Hidan rubbed her head as he said this smiling down at her a week later they arrive outside the massive waterfall where they meet the weirdest girl "Hi, I'm FU want to be my friend" the girl bounced on the balls of her feet practically yelling the sentence at them as she ran around them 'Man her hyperness put's Naruto's to shame' Sakura giggled to herself "Sure Fu-san, I'm Sakura Aburame" Sakura introduced herself.

"Fu no suffixes friends don't call each other by suffixes" Fu rattles off "So Sakura what brings you to this village" she finally settles down "Ah just visiting the different villages I'm collecting headbands and I've heard a lot of good things from a friend of mine about this village" Sakura explains letting Fu drag her by the hand through the waterfall "A friend of yours" Fu asks questioningly "Yeah his name is Naruto Uzumaki" Sakura smiled fondly "He wouldn't happen to a blonde haired fellow traveling with a white haired guy would he" Fu asks a moment later.

"Exactly wait how did you know that" Sakura blinks in confusion "Oh well they were here just a few weeks ago" Fu answers shrugging her shoulders as if it was common knowledge "Dang guess we missed him huh Hidan" Sakura pouted looking back only to find Hidan wasn't following them "Ah the silver-haired fellow he said he had things to do and would see you in a couple of weeks" Fu chirped out snorting in laughter when Sakura looks at her "Oh thanks" Sakura rubs the back of her head 'He is so getting it when he gets back' she sulked silently.

"Your strange Sakura most people I meet don't want anything to do with me" Fu laughs softly drawing peoples attention to the duo "Why's that Fu" Sakura asked in concern "Well everyone in the village hates me" Fu explains like the fact of being hated doesn't bother her "Oh" Sakura gave her a look filled of pity but then she shocked Fu and several people around the two females by pulling the girl into a hug "You have a tailed beast sealed inside of you don't you Fu" Sakura whispered softly in her ear.

"Yeah but Chomei is cool see he's number 7 of the tailed beasts a giant horned beetle" Fu said really quickly but Sakura understood easily because Naruto talked like that all the time "Well I'll be your friend and your always welcome to come visit me in the Leaf Village" Sakura offered getting a high pitched laugh from Fu who nods excitedly ignoring the stares of hatred and the whispers of disgust from the villagers "So what do you like to do for fun" Sakura asked randomly wanting to change the topic of conversation.

"I like pulling pranks" Fu giggled mischievously "I think I know something else we can do" Sakura suggests instead pulling Fu along behind her "Where do you live and do you have a swimsuit" she asked suddenly "Oh well I don't actually live in the village I live on the outskirts way over there" Fu pointed in the opposite direction "I don't have a swimsuit though" she pouted cutely "Well come on don't just pout lead me to a clothing shop" Sakura smiled widely at the pouting girl who just stared at her in confusion.

She to had been ignoring the whispers and stares being used to this because being friends with two other tailed beast hosts the stares and whispers kind of followed "Why are we going to a store" Fu asked her utterly baffled "To buy you a swimming suit silly" Sakura laughed softly confusing her even more as they entered a small clothing store and headed over to the swimming suits "Why would you do something like that" Fu scratched her head as Sakura started going through the different swimsuits.

"You said it yourself we're friends and friends help each other out and do things with each other" Sakura explained holding up a swimsuit and comparing it to the others before setting it down a minute later she picks up a swimsuit that had a watery effect as it's design "This is perfect why don't you go try it on Fu" Sakura pushes the suit in the girls hands before nudging her in the direction of the changing room several minutes later Fu emerges and Sakura nods satisfied "That looks wonderful on you Fu" she claps "We'll get it" she says a moment later.

Sakura's decision made Fu enters the changing room again a second later she comes back out and hands the suit over to Sakura as they make their way to the cashier "Sorry I don't service the beast" the man says instantly causing Sakura to reign in her rage but a few tendrils of her chakra slip through in her anger "I suggest you refrain from insulting her in my presence and I'll be buying this and she has a name its Fu" Sakura snaps throwing down a 30 dollar ryo before snatching up the suit taking Fu by the hand before storming out of the shop.

"Oh no you shouldn't have done that now I'll get scolded by Shibuki again" Fu groaned "Don't worry about it Fu let's just go swimming and have some fun" Sakura smiles reassuringly at her "Well ok" Fu smiles back widely excited at the thought of going swimming with a new friend "Your staying with me right Sakura" Fu asks as she leads Sakura to her home "Yeah definitely" Sakura answers "Awesome" Fu laughs excitedly again as they finally enter her home which was a complete and utter mess.

"Hehe sorry it's so messy" Fu laughs "It's ok I can help you with that to but maybe later" Sakura calls looking around the place "Hey why did you agree to be my friend so quickly anyway" Fu asks suspiciously "Everyone deserves a chance at happiness and even if it's one person it can definitely make a difference or an impact on that persons life" Sakura calls from the spare bedroom "Your weird" Fu giggles "Not the first time I've been called that" Sakura responds exiting the room wearing her swimming suit.

"Here put yours on and then we can go swimming" Sakura hands over the suit and Fu rushes off to put it on "Come on Fu" Sakura laughs eager to splash around in the water the second they exit the door they come face to face with a man who immediately began glaring at Fu when he caught sight of her "Can't you go one day without disturbing the peace" he growls out angrily "Excuse me but Fu had nothing to do with what happened in that shop" Sakura stepped up staring the man down.

"Oh she didn't I doubt that" the man laughs arrogantly "It was me, I don't like it when people treat others badly for something they have no control over we were in that store because I was buying Fu a swimming suit so that we could go swimming and the man at the cashier was rude, I apologize for snapping at him but he shouldn't have been such a jerk because Fu was with me" Sakura smoothly explains placing herself between Fu and the man "Oh well I guess it can't be helped your off the hook for now" he announces and promptly disappears.

"Oh my god you are super amazing" Fu hops up and down in her hyperness making Sakura smile "Told you I could handle it" she teases before spying a small pond a little ways away from Fu's house "Betcha I can beat ya" Sakura calls over her shoulder taking off at a run only to be passed a few seconds later as Fu beats her to the pond and jumps in with a whoop of joy "I guess I got to work on my speed" Sakura shrugged doing the same "So what did I win" Fu emerges from under the water and splashes her.

"Dinner my treat and 1 item of your choice from any store" Sakura calls out splashing back as they play about in the water a few hours later they walk back towards Fu's house hair dripping wet and wrapped up in Sakura's fluffy towels "Before I make dinner how about I help you clean up now" Sakura suggests at seeing the mess 'Not even Naruto's room is this messy, well that's only because I make him clean it up regularly' she thinks suddenly grabbing a few empty scrolls handing one to few they get to work cleaning up the living room.

An hour later Sakura empties her scrolls out in the trashcan the small home clean from top to bottom she heads into Fu's kitchen and looks through the cabinets when she runs across another problem "Fu where's the food" she called her head stuck in cabinet as she looked through "Oh well today was shopping day and I forgot to go" Fu laughs sheepishly dreading going back into town now "We should probably do that" Sakura lets out a sigh "At least your cabinets aren't full of nothing but ramen" she joked thinking about Naruto again.

Before Fu could ask who would be crazy enough to do Sakura took her by the hand and led her back into town to buy groceries entering the shop they get some glares but otherwise no one speaks as the two girls buy groceries to last Fu for a few weeks exiting the shop 25 minutes later the groceries stored in sealing scrolls so they have full use of their hands Sakura spies another shop that grabs her attention immediately "What kind of shop is that" she whispers to Fu in confusion.

"Oh that's a tattoo shop I believe" Fu scratches her head "Want to get matching tattoo's with me" Sakura asks an idea forming in her head "No way nothing against you but I've heard tattoo's hurt like nuts" Fu backs away quickly "They don't hurt that much especially if you choose a place that doesn't have many veins in it because that's what hurts the most" Sakura explains soothingly making Fu pause in her steps "You sure Sakura" she asks warily "Yeah otherwise I wouldn't have gotten tattoo's" Sakura shows off her tattoo's getting a loud whisper of awe from Fu.

"I guess that this will be my one thing from any shop I choose huh Sakura" Fu asks as they enter the tattoo shop "Hello girls how may I help you" the tattooist smiles politely "Well we want to get matching tattoo's" Sakura explains "Do you have something already in mind" he asks again "Yes on our arms here the kanji for friendship" she told him instantly "Ok well for both of you it will come to a total of 180 ryo" he rung up their total "Wait aren't you gonna ask us how old we are" Fu blurts out in confusion when Sakura hands over the money.

"Well as long as you pay then does it really matter" he smiles taking the money and putting it in the register before leading the two girls into the backroom "Shimmery Dark blue like a water effect" Sakura explains the color she wanted as Fu sat down tensing as the buzzing of the machine greets her ears several minutes later she hops up and Sakura takes her place getting the same tattoo done on her arm 20 minutes later they exit the shop a bandage wrapped around the new tattoo's and head back to Fu's home to begin dinner.

A couple of weeks later the villagers started treating Fu a little better as Sakura bought some gifts for her friends back home buying a forehead protector from the village as Fu escorts her through the underwater tunnels and back outside the waterfall "Do you have to go" Fu pouted after their first day Sakura and Fu had trained for the last 2 weeks Sakura improving on her speed "Yeah" Sakura smiled pulled Fu into another hug and seeing Hidan followed him until they were out of sight Fu waving.

"Don't worry Sakura I'm sure you'll see her again" Hidan ruffled her hair as they walked Midori appearing as they got further away from the village "So why didn't you come in the village" Sakura asks suspiciously "That's Kakuzu's old village no way in hell am I gonna tell him that I entered that place" Hidan shouted tugging on her hair in reprimand "So where to next, is that another tattoo" he trails off in frustration "Yeah kanji meaning friendship, it's a matching one with Fu" Sakura explains keeping the smile off her face as she explained it to him.

"I swear Sakura your Hokage is going to murder me or put me in a whole 20 feet under the ground" Hidan rubbed his face glaring at her "Ah don't wory I'll protect you from the big bad Hokage" Sakura giggles her lips twitching in amusement as she smiles widely at him "And let's head the rain village" she grins when Hidan sighs "If Pein murders you I am not explaining to Lady Tsunade how you purposely annoyed the guy" he announces a moment later as they head in the direction of the Hidden Rain Village as they travel quickly.

Along the way they pass through several different villages such as the Star Village, Moon Village, Snow Village and lots of others grabbing souvenirs and adding to her collection of headbands helping out here and there in each village making friends before moving on as they continue heading towards the rain village Sakura training each time they stopped getting stronger and stronger as time passes her short hair growing to her shoulder blades as she continues wearing her headband around her neck much like Hidan until after 5 weeks of nonstop travel they reach the border of the Rain Village.

Entering the village they have no idea where to look so they decide to head to the old Akatsuki base only to stop when Konan appears in a swirl of paper and swiftly pulls Sakura into a hug "Sakura-chan" the woman greets leading them to the new building "Konan-chan" Sakura laughs happily hugging the woman back quickly "You know Pein isn't going to be happy" Konan half jokes when she catches sight of Hidan "Don't worry Konan we'll be on our best behavior won't we Sakura" Hidan tugs her hair harshly as they enter Peins office where he was glaring.


	43. 3 Years of Training Part 6

"I thought I told you specifically not to come bothering me" Pein snaps his pencil as he hisses out his sentence glaring at the two idiots that had entered his office "We aren't here to bother you Pein-sama" Sakura bows wincing at the snap "We just came to visit the village that's all" Hidan assures him "Fine but if I get so much as even a word from my people that your causing trouble your out of here" Pein snaps dismissing them angrily and they scramble out of his office without another word.

"Sakura if he kills us I'm blaming you" Hidan announced when they left the building and walked through the rain to a hotel "Don't worry so long as we don't bother him I'm sure we'll be fine" Sakura calls over the rain "I think maybe we should start looking for people with bounties on their heads we're kinda running low on cash" Hidan explained when they were settled in their hotel room "Your right" Sakura stared at her wallet it still had plenty enough to last her through the next couple of years.

But if she wanted to keep buying gifts for each of her friends she would need to start taking down rogues that had bounties on their heads and cashing them in for some quick money "Yeah good thing I have an updated list of rogue ninja's" Hidan pulls out a bingo book and together they search through the book but all of them were either A class or S class rogues and to high for Sakura to go after "Maybe we can talk to Pein" Sakura suggests dreading going back into his office and bothering the man.

Sighing Hidan nods and so they head back out into the rain as they enter the building he squeezes his eyes shut in hopes that Pein wouldn't murder them for knocking on his door again he could feel the heat of Pein's rinnegan eyed glare as they stepped in to stand before him "What are you doing here again in my office" Pein grinds out between clenched teeth "We were hoping that you could put us to work" Sakura asks softly causing Pein to stop glaring at them in confusion "Well why didn't you just say so" he sits back smirking.

"There's a list of things you could do and of course you'll both be payed" Pein digs through his stack of paperwork before emerging with two separate lists "Here Sakura-san do all of those things and I'll make you an honorary member of the rain village" he hands one sheet of paper to Sakura before handing the other over to Hidan with out a word dismissing them again they head back to the hotel each reaching through their own list as they bed down for the night after deciding they would start the next day.

The next morning Sakura and Hidan head off in different directions to begin their work Hidan leaving the village to hunt down contacts and Sakura heading towards the hospital to teach some newbies some medical ninjutsu "Hello my name is Sakura Aburame and I'll be your teacher for the next couple of weeks" she introduces herself feeling nervous and a little intimidated by all the stares "Sakura-sensei" a woman at the back of the room raises her hand in question "Yes" Sakura clears her throat sweating a little.

"How old are you" the woman asks "I'm 14 but that doesn't mean anything someone can be 14 and still be stronger than someone who is say 25 years old" Sakura starts off the lesson with something that Kakashi had told her once before writing on the chalkboard explaining the mechanics of medical ninjutsu to the class of medics to be "Now to demonstrate this lesson we'll be practicing with a melon" she pulls a kunai out before slashing the melon making a long thick gash in the rind.

"To be a medical ninja you must have excellent chakra control so will Jin, Saki, and Nel come to the front perform the handsigns of the jutsu and heal this melon" Sakura called out the names on the list "How does healing a melon help us learn medical ninjutsu" someone exclaimed angrily from the back of the room the same woman who had asked her old she was "It helps us establish the proper amount of chakra we need to heal someone" Sakura explains again but it was clear the woman wasn't satisfied with that small explanation.

"Fine I'll say this bluntly, to little chakra you'll heal nothing, to much chakra you risk hurting your patient more I won't risk anyone in this class hurting someone by accident if you don't like the methods in which I'll be teaching your free to leave" Sakura snaps letting some of her chakra escape to intimidate the woman who thought she could run her mouth off at her "I'm sorry sensei" Maki cowers in her seat making some people laugh at her "What's the matter Maki scared of a little girl more like a walking piece of cotton candy" a guy laughs loudly.

A second later he lets out a yelp of pain when Sakura jabs his wrist rendering it useless for the moment "Lesson #2 know exactly where all the pressure points are" Sakura snickers as the man who had insulted her pink hair jumps back and stares at her warily while holding his wrist as Sakura goes back to the front of the room as Nel closes the gash on the melon "And that everyone concludes the lesson" she claps her hands praisingly while inspecting the melon before nodding at Nel in satisfaction.

"I expect everyone to read the material and tomorrow there will be a test on what you read" Sakura warns causing everyone to groan as they pack up their stuff and exit the room when her impromptu students were gone Sakura sat behind the desk and pulled out a sheet of papers opened her medical text book and started making test papers for each of her students 15 sheets later Sakura shuts her book stacks the pile neatly on the dest for tomorrow grabs her bag and locks up the room.

Exiting the small building Sakura looks up finding it way later than she had planned she hurried through the streets back to the hotel room where Hidan was waiting for her "What the hell took you so long Sakura" Hidan ruffles her hair and she swats his hand away "I'm sorry, I had to make up test papers for my class" she huffs out sitting on her bed and pulling out a book to read "What, Pein has you teaching a class of brats that's just priceless" Hidan laughs loudly falling back on his bed.

"No you dolt he has me teaching a class of adults medical ninjutsu" Sakura rolls her eyes when he laughs even more "Oh my god that's the funniest thing I've ever heard of a kid teaching adults I bet their pride was shattered into a million pieces" Hidan laughs even harder holding his gut as he rolls off the bed and onto the floor "I don't think they'll mess with me much" Sakura snickered remembering what she had done to the guy who had insulted her hair, calming down Hidan stares at her curiously.

"Someone insulted my hair color so I taught them a little lesson about pressure points and what they can do to someone" she shrugged nonchalantly "Damn I'm sure you'll whip them into shape in no time" Hidan whistled when she explained to him what she'd taught them already "I only have a couple of weeks to teach them the basics the rest they can learn on their own" Sakura huffed again before leaning back on her bed and reading more of her book as Midori jumps into the bed and snuggles next to her.

"What's the matter Midori" Sakura asks when the wolf stares at her "Mistress someone is coming" Midori warns, over the weeks her tracking abilities had improved to the point where she could just tell that someone was headed their way and sure enough their hotel room door slammed open and Pein stomped in "I told you to teach them medical ninjutsu not threaten them" he seethed the guy she had used as an example smirking arrogantly behind Pein "I didn't threaten them I taught them a lesson" Sakura shrugged.

"I won't let someone insult me but I didn't threaten him I just showed him what hitting a pressure point can do he got feeling back after 3 minutes and the lesson went well I don't know what Akane told you but he obviously left out a few details" she glared at the male who takes a wary step back when Pein turns his angry glare on him as well "She's just a kid your really gonna take her side over mine" Akane complained "For disturbing me Akane you'll have to work twice as hard" Pein snaps before calmly shutting their hotel room door.

When Sakura woke up the next day Hidan was already gone and she only had 15 minutes to cross the village and get to her class when she arrived she simply handed out the tests and sat behind her desk "You have an hour" she announced without looking up from her book 30 minutes into the hour half of her class had turned over their tests and there were only a few people left 20 minutes later with 10 minutes left the last one called out that he was finished so Sakura set her book down to stand up and collect the tests.

Grabbing the last one off Akane's desk she heads back to her desk and sets the tests papers on it before pulling out a sealing scroll and unseals the melons within from the corner of her eye she catches Pein leaning against the doorframe as she sets a melon on each of her students desks "While I grade your test papers I want you to practice weaving your chakra into this melon until it heals you have to make the gashes yourselves" Sakura instructs when she sits down in her chair Pein finally enters the classroom and walks over to her.

"Your handling this extremely well" he leans against the edge of her desk "Well it's definitely strange and a lot different than what I've been doing for the last year alone but hey I consider this vacation" Sakura laughed softly while opening her book to get started on grading the tests "What have you been doing with Hidan" Pein asks in confusion "Training we've been to just about every village except for 3 of them" was her response as she grabbed up a pen and started marking down the grade circling what the person had gotten wrong before setting it aside.

"That explains it you hold yourself differently, like you've gained experience that you didn't have before" Pein guessed and Sakura nodded setting aside another graded paper suddenly an idea formed in Peins mind "When your finished I have something I want you to do for me" Pein smirked when she glanced at him warily "Ok what about teaching them" Sakura points before writing the next test that had less than perfect marks "I'm sure they can survive a 20 minutes without you" Pein looked around and the class nodded eagerly.

"Well can you let me finish grading the papers" Sakura rolled her eyes in amusement "Now you know how I feel whenever someone interrupts me" Pein stood up straight and stared down at her while Sakura smiled sheepishly several minutes later she stood up tests graded wrote on the chalk board then handed the tests back upside down "Don't look at them until I leave and when I come back your all getting a lesson in reading" Sakura quipped before following Pein out of the building and back to his office.

"So what is it you want me to do" Sakura asked curiously as Pein began going through a long set of handsigns before placing his hands on the wall at the back of his office "You've improved on medical ninjutsu correct" Pein asked instead of answering her question as the wall parted allowing them through "Yes, Cee from the Hidden Cloud Village taught me a lot more than just simply healing cuts and bruises" Sakura told him a moment later growing tense as the wall closed behind them and they were shrouded in darkness.

"What I'm about to show you Sakura is a carefully guarded secret kept by Konan and myself you must give me your word that you won't tell anyone about this especially Hidan" Pein stopped suddenly causing Sakura to bump into him looking down at her his face set into a serious expression "Do I have your word" Pein asks again turning to take Sakura by her shoulders and give her a little shake "Yes you have my word Pein" Sakura squeaks out growing frightened at the glint in his eyes.

Releasing her Pein gives a sigh of relief and relaxes before turning on the light in the room closing his eyes he waits for Sakura to notice and then "Oh my god are you ok" like he had predicted Sakura's first words about his main body were those of concern "Don't feel sorry for me Sakura-san I've been like this for a long time" the red haired man in the corner of the room spoke before coughing "Who are you, how did you know my name" Sakura asks slowly approaching him.

"My name is Nagato or as you know me Pein as for how I know your name well I think my first answer should be enough for you" Nagato chuckles softly as he coughs again "How is that even possible" Sakura asks curiously "The chakra receivers in Pein's body allow me to move around" Nagato explains to the curious girl "So you mean all those piercings aren't just for show" Sakura turns to stare at the piercings speculatively "No" Nagato answers finding no other way to explain the piercings.

"Cool" Sakura gasped out in awe as an idea forms in her own mind "The reason I brought you here is I want to be able to walk again and I think your just the person to help me" Nagato explains again chuckling when Sakura stares at him in shock "I don't know" Sakura stared at him sadly picking out all the things she saw wrong with him and that was just on the outside she had no idea what was going wrong on the inside "I'll try but don't expect to much out of me" Sakura finally said after several minutes of silence.

"That's all I wanted to hear" Nagato chuckled having Yahiko's body ruffle her hair in a rare show of affection "That's kind of creepy but so oddly cool" Sakura stared in fascination 'Two men so different but still the same' she thought wondering what else could be done with the chakra receivers "Where did you get all the piercings done at" she asks when they had left the office and were headed back to her class 15 minutes later "A small shop here in town" he responds missing her smile as he turned and headed back to get started on paperwork.

Entering the class she found her students hard at work some had sweat beading on their foreheads as they weaved healing chakra into the melons "Ok everyone take a break I still have to have a talk with you about reading the material" Sakura set her face into a disappointed expression "When I said read the material I meant it just because I'm a kid I still know more about medical ninjutsu and if you guys don't do your very best I can't pass you in two weeks time" she scolds making some of the adults depressed.

"We're sorry Sakura-sensei" they recite in unison "Now I'll give you one more chance to read that material so tomorrow expect another test your dismissed" Sakura waves them out of the room as they pack up taking the melons with them to practice leaving Sakura alone in the room again as she makes up even more tests when she was done she pulled open a notepad and started jotting down everything she had noticed wrong with Nagato making a note on the side to remind herself to give him a medical examination.

Hours later she exited the building and ran right into Pein jumping back she knocked her head against the door she had just closed and with a groan she healed the bump "What is it" Sakura yawned out tiredly "I need you to give me a medical exam tomorrow" he stated simply "I already have that put down but thanks for the reminder" she gives him a smile "What time do you want me to come by" Sakura yawns again rubbing her tired eyes "Around noon make your class short tomorrow" Pein orders before disappearing.

When she got back to the hotel Hidan was already asleep so she quickly took a shower changed her clothes and passed out the next morning Hidan shook her awake yelling her name "I've been calling your name for 20 minutes" he scolds rubbing his hair with a towel "I've been so graciously given the day off by Pein so I'll be coming with you" Hidan snickered out oh yes he really wanted to meet the people his apprentice was teaching "You can't make fun of them for being taught by a kid Hidan" Sakura cuts his thoughts off packing her bag.

"Ruin my fun" he ruffles her hair that was getting longer again Sakura quickly changed in the bathroom before the two took off in the direction of her classroom along the way she started a conversation with Hidan that had him boiling in frustration "So, I've decided I wanted to get piercings any ideas what I should get done" Sakura asked innocently "Absolutely not I've tolerated the tattoo's to a certain degree, I can handle you cutting your hair, hell I can even handle you getting another pet" Hidan shouted.

"But there is no way in hell your getting piercings" he finished with a nod thinking the conversation over "Hidan please these won't be just simple piercings" Sakura begged her bottom lip jutting out and quivering while she gave Hidan her puppy dog eyes "No" he crossed his arms not relenting this time "Please" she whined childishly that look of pleading growing until he throws his hands up in frustration "FINE, but please for my sake just get the minimum of 5 piercings I don't think I could handle anymore than that" he stresses.

'Man your so mean using your cuteness like that Saku-chan' Inner appears for the first time in months causing Sakura to trip over her feet and slam into Hidan who grabs her in a hug to steady her 'What the fuck Inner you couldn't have chosen a different time to appear' Sakura seethes when she notices the girl looked completely different again with her short purple hair and forest green eyes 'Sorry Saku-chan but I've been busy'' Inner stated making Sakura scoff and leave the conversation.

"Thanks Hidan" Sakura hugs him back before entering the classroom and finding her students already hard at work weaving healing chakra into the rind of the melon "Take a break we've got that test remember" Sakura smirks as a couple of the adults sigh before handing out the new tests "Half an hour this time and then your free to go at noon I'll be showing you a new jutsu as well" Sakura announced loudly writing on the chalkboard again as she sat in her chair while Hidan sat in a regular chair at her side.

Opening her book Sakura thought of all the ways she could get Hidan to leave her to her own devices at noon when the timer she set went off she automatically stood and collected the papers showed them the chakra scalpel and then sat to grade the papers when 11:30 hit she stacked the graded test papers neatly satisfied with the amount of progress they had showed and then passed them out before releasing them early "Hey I've got something to do so I'll meet you later at the piercing shop" Sakura told Hidan.

"Sure brat see you later" Hidan reached over ruffled her hair and then left the room several minutes later Sakura rushed out speeding through the streets trying to avoid Hidan at all costs she had most of the night creating a daily routine for Nagato and she wanted to give him that medical exam right away a few minutes later she flies into Pein's office out of breath "Just give me a sec" she panted out not some much out of exhaustion more like fear at being caught a few seconds later she straightened up.

When she stood next to Nagato again 15 minutes later she started running a medical diagnostic a losing more and more confidence in her healing abilities as more things than she imagined popped up in her initial exam several minutes later she pulled away and wrote down everything she found in her notepad before letting out a long sigh "Nagato-san" she spoke softly alerting him that something was seriously wrong "What is it Sakura" he wheezes out worried that this may be to much for her.

"To put it bluntly unless you start on this routine I've set up for you it will almost by physically impossible for you to walk again the first thing is you have to get healthy again" Sakura bit her lip harshly making it bleed as she point blank told one of the strongest Ex S Class Criminals in the world that if he didn't get his life straight he would be stuck as an invalid for the rest of his life "How long will this take" Nagato asks closing his eyes in fatigue "2 months just for the start I would think it would take 3 years at most" she told him.

"Well then Sakura I suggest we get started on that" Nagato opened his eyes again staring at her in determination "First we need to get your lungs healthy and a simple procedure can fix that" Sakura wrote down a few more notes in her pad before getting close enough to place her now glowing green hands on his frail chest and proceeded to heal his weakened lung enough where he was no longer coughing or wheezing "Oh I feel better already" Nagato sighed out in relief when he didn't cough again as Sakura pulled away.

"So what's he diagnostic doc" Konan giggles as she enters the room and finding Sakura hard at work healing Nagato's muscles and ligaments removing bone fragments and mending the bone to a point that it would no longer be painful wiping sweat off her forehead Sakura closes her eyes in concentration as heals old burnt skin before clearing his clogged heart veins and healing Nagato's intestines and bladder before finally pulling away 3 hours later "Well most of the problems are fixed" Sakura checked off some things on her notepad.

"Konan can you promise me something" Sakura asked seriously "Of course Sakura-chan" the blue-haired woman stared at her curiously "Nagato-san needs to eat a lot more healthier I'm going to make a list of things he needs to eat and drink on a daily basis for the next two months of course I'll come by everyday and check on him but he needs to build up muscle mass before we can move onto the physical training part of this process" Sakura rattled off instantly when she had Konan's full attention.

"I promise" Konan remained straight faced as she gave Sakura her word nodding Sakura followed Pein out of the office and down the street after getting directions from Pein to the piercing shop Hidan and Midori joined her halfway when it gave her another idea so when they reached the shop Sakura beckoned Midori in startling everyone in the little shop at the size of the wolf "How may I help you" the man asked shaking slightly in fear as Midori settled her crystal blue eyes on him.

"I want to 6 piercings one of them will be for her on the right ear" Sakura grinned when Hidan groaned but filled out the paper the guy handed over "And what would you like done" the guy asks "I want my lip pierced the left side my nose on the right my left eyebrow pierced my right ear pierced and my belly button pierced" she rattled off instantly already having decided where she wanted everything to be at while she was working on Nagato "You sure you can handle the pain pinky" a tough bulky looking calls out arrogantly.

"Trust me you don't want to make a bet with her" Hidan warned when Sakura opened her mouth but quickly snapped it shut giving him a sulk as the guy who would be doing their piercings leads her and Midori into the backroom to get started "Midori you go first" Sakura laughed when the wolf threw her a fearful look "Mistress" the snow wolf growled warningly but sat as still as possible as her right ear was pierced and a balled ring was snapped in and the left over blood was wiped away free Midori nipped Sakura's wrist in reprimand.

"Ouch" Sakura said dully no longer affected by pain after that ritual she did back in the grass village she no longer felt pain it was like her whole body was numb she still felt exhaustion and everything else but it was like all her pain receptors had been shut off as she got all 5 piercings without a hiss of pain handing over some money and with Midori at her side left the shop with Hidan as they headed back to their hotel room Sakura took a quick shower dried off and then flopped on her bed feeling that exhaustion.

The next 2 weeks pass by in relative silence in peace as Sakura gives her students the ok and send them off into the world with instructions to continue working on their medical abilities of course every day of those two weeks Sakura checked in on Nagato and found him doing a lot better now that he had a proper diet of food he was gaining weight his body filling out like it needed to such as like now she was checking him over for the 15th time she was satisfied with amount of progress Nagato was making.

"Well Nagato-san your overall body health has been increasing so as long as you continue eating right you can start physical training just small amounts 15 minutes a day" Sakura stated happily her confidence had started coming back when Nagato started showing improvement with that said she handed over small dumbells and ankle weights for Nagato to practice with for short increments daily "If you continue improving it might be just 2 years and you'll be up and walking around like nothing ever happened" she smiles softly at the man.

"It's only thanks to you Sakura that I've made any improvements so Konan and I have agreed to give you this making you an honorary member of the rain village and because you've worked so hard I'm making you an advisor this way it will be easier to explain to Hidan where you're going everyday just tell him that your working directly under Pein" Nagato holds out a hidden rain village headband and Sakura swiftly replaces it with her leaf headband as she ties the new headband around her neck.

"I'll treasure it well" Sakura bows her head before jumping into the role of fitness instructor as she showed Nagato exactly what he would have to do to gain muscles in his arms and legs 15 minutes later Sakura left the office feeling extremely proud of herself as she headed down the streets towards the hotel she was unaware that she was being followed until "I know your there" a moment later Jiraiya and Naruto appeared one staring warily and the other rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at being caught.

"We were just passing through" Jiraiya held up his hands smiling innocently as she tackled Naruto in a hug "I'm just happy to see Naruto again" Sakura squeezed the blonde tightly before releasing him "Yeah the brats been bugging me about seeing you again, you and that fellow Hidan are extremely hard to track" Jiraiya cried rivers of tears as he explained his dilemma "Sorry" she smiled at the Toad Sage.

"Well say goodbye Naruto we only have a year and a half left to shape you to being a decent shinobi" Jiraiya ordered and with that the two disappeared and Sakura headed back to the hotel finding Hidan and Midori waiting for her the latter feeling a little cooped up so Sakura gave her permission to go hunting outside the village when the snow wolf was gone Sakura explained the new headband and what she'd be doing before flopping down on the bed to fall asleep.

The next morning Sakura woke with a stretch found a note from Hidan on the table that told her he would be gone for the entirety of the day and then took a shower washing her hair and everything else before choosing her outfit for the day locking up the hotel room door with her key Sakura dropped it off at the front desk and hurried down the streets for her first day as Pein's advisor, approaching she felt a somewhat familiar chakra and when she entered Pein's office she dropped her bag in shock "Shikamaru" she squealed tackling him.


	44. 3 Years of Training Part 7

"Hey Sakura" Shikamaru wheezed out from having the wind knocked out of him by Sakura who was sitting on his stomach her emerald eyes lit up with a happiness that his teammates could see "You really like Shikamaru don't you Sakura" Asuma chuckled out this caused Sakura to hop up with a squeak of embarrassment "Sorry I didn't realize, oh never mind sorry for the disturbance Pein-sama" Sakura bowed her head "I take it you know these people" Pein asks when the chatter in his office dies down.

"Yes, sir" she nodded "This is Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, and Asuma" Sakura pointed to each person and introduced them "Well they'll be here helping out with paperwork so you'll be seeing them a lot" Pein had to stop the smirk from forming on his lips when she smiled fondly at the boy "You, Sakura will be going with Konan and I" with those words Pein stood up directed one of his underlings to show the Leaf Shinobi to the office that needed the most help and ushered Sakura out the door where she fell in line behind Konan.

10 minutes later the trio walked into the town center where many citizens of the rain village were gathered "Sakura take notes on what everyone says" Pein ordered her as he sat in the high backed chair that looked oddly like a throne, Sakura didn't dawdle though as she quickly pulled out a notebook as the first person approached told them what his or her problem was and then explained what they wanted done, and then the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and so on and so forth until half of her notebook was filled up with notes she had taken.

"Pein-sama who's that" one citizen asked before Pein could conclude the town meeting this causes Pein to pause and look at Konan who shrugged seeing he would get no help from her Pein cleared his throat spying the chakra receiver on her lip an idea forms quickly walking over to her he pushes a little chakra into the receiver and then discreetly forms a handsign *Sakura go along with my plan* Pein called out within his mind *Pein whats going on* came her confused reply.

*I'm speaking with you through our minds now go along with my plan and make it believable* he ordered and she nods just enough for him to see before closing the connection "This is Sakura she is the Cherry Blossom of the Rain Village" Pein called out generating cheers from the towns people a few minutes later the cheers die down and the trio head back to Pein's office "I'll teach you the handsigns to open the wall" Pein sat down facing Sakura who set her notebook on his desk for him to look over and compare to Konan's later.

"I think I've got them" Sakura smiled a moment later before trying out the long set of handsigns Nagato had created to keep himself protected when the wall parted she breathed a sigh of relief and went through the wall it closing behind her flipping on the switch Sakura found Nagato sitting up looking a lot better than he did 2 weeks ago "Cherry Blossom of the Rain Village huh" she giggled "Don't let the title go to your head" Nagato scolded and Sakura nodded "I wouldn't dream of it" she smiled.

"I'm going to do another medical exam to check on your muscles have you done the 15 minutes of arm and leg exercises" Sakura asked him as her hands glowed blue "No I was waiting for you" Nagato answered "Oh" she breathed checking his muscles before concluding her exam "I have to do a little healing some symptoms are coming back but that's only because of how long you've been in this condition" Sakura explained while her hands glowed green "I see" Nagato answered wisely.

"Let's get started on your fitness exercises" she stood up pulled his legs out from underneath the thick blanket and placed them on the floor attached the ankle weights and for 10 minutes instructed Nagato to lift his legs to build up muscles and then for the last 5 minutes had him lift his arms up and down when they were done Sakura took the weights helped Nagato slide his legs underneath the blanket again jotted down some notes and with a wave left the room shutting out the light and parting the wall again before it closed behind her.

On the otherside she nodded to Konan, Pein was elsewhere and left the office walking through town she spotted a training ground and decided to start training again Midori had joined her the minute she had left the building and was soaked all the way through her thick white fur getting closer to the training grounds though she found it already occupied by Pein so she found a different spot further down and faced Midori who was waiting for her mistresses order "What should we start with Mistress" came her soft voice over the rain.

"Snow Style: Snow Field Jutsu" Sakura called pouring chakra into the ground and turning half of her part of the training field into snow this causes Pein to stop in his jutsu's and watch her practice "May I train with you Sakura" Pein was curious about this new style of jutsu and wanted to see exactly how much the girl had improved "Yes, sir" Sakura called back climbing Midori while forming her now usual armor, shield and sword "That's pretty impressive Sakura" Pein smirked making it rain harder decreasing visibility.

Sakura knew exactly what Pein was doing and so she concentrated chakra in her eyes before leaning down and whispering in Midori's ear while she was doing this she connected their chakra through the receivers in the case they got separated before ushering Midori to charge forward thrusting her blade forward she slams right through the clone he had created destroying it with a pop ducking when Pein swung out at her with a fist from her left she brought her shield up to block the next.

"Snow Style: Snow Jet" Sakura channeled her chakra into Midori allowing the wolf to shoot a stream of snow at Pein who rolled to the left out of his path "Snow Style: Snow Clone" she whispered next discreetly forming the handsigns before "Snow Style: Cool Down" Sakura created the genjutsu waiting to activate it when she was with in range jumping off Midori she dropped her blade and decided to get a little taijutsu work out ducking and dodging and rolling only to have her feet kicked out from underneath of her.

Before she was to far Sakura locked eyes with Pein and vanished with a flash of light breathing a sigh of relief she formed more handsigns "Snow Style: Snow Daggers" now this jutsu would take awhile to generate because of the amount of rain it would be difficult but Sakura thought she could manage as long as she had 15 minutes and Pein remained in the genjutsu 10 minutes later she her teeth was chattering in the frigid air and she thought Pein was messing with her anyway so she released all of her jutsu's.

When Pein came to he blinked and started laughing at the freezing girl "I've never been stuck in a genjutsu like that before" he laughed loudly lessening the rain "I think I've learned a very valuable lesson" Sakura shivered as he walked over to her "What's that" Pein asks helping her climb on Midori so they could get out of the rain "Don't spar with Rain Shinobi especially if you use something that's much colder than rain" she huffed out teeth clacking together as they walked through the village to his office.

"You are most amusing Sakura" Pein smirked smugly at her "I'm sure glad that your on our side though I would hate to fight you for real" she whispered hugging Midori around the neck so she wouldn't slip off when they entered Pein's office Konan ran off to get three towels and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief at the warmth a few minutes later Shikamaru came in carrying a stack of papers and he almost dropped them at the sight of her "Sakura what happened" he asked in concern "She's just a little cold" Pein spoke up from behind his desk .

"I'm fine Shika, you should get back to work" Sakura waved off his concerns feeling much warmer now "If your sure Saku-chan" Shikamaru smiled, dropped the stack of papers on Pein's desk and prepared to leave the room when Pein called out to him "Why don't you stay I'm sure Sakura would enjoy your company" he smirked when both teens turn around to look at him in shock "Are you sure Pein-sama" Sakura asked looking at him with hope in her eyes that it wasn't a joke "Yes" he answered simply before starting on his paperwork.

When Konan walked into the room 10 minutes later she almost dropped the towels there laying on Peins couch was Sakura and the boy Shikamaru napping snuggled so close together you wouldn't even be able to slide a piece of paper between them "I decided to relieve them of work this afternoon and let them spend time together" Pein said while rolling his eyes "And they choose to nap on my couch" he snorted in amusement without looking up at Konan who handed him a towel before throwing a thick blanket over the two teens.

Several weeks later a lot of paperwork finished, changes in the amount of fitness exercises the Hidden Rain Village was coming along nicely homes were being built the hospital was running smoothly, shinobi were being sent out on easy missions Nagato was being re-taught how to walk after Sakura had deemed him alright to start, Sakura had been training with Midori and spending time with Shikamaru, she was even getting used to being called Sakura-hime there was just one person missing Hidan.

The more they integrated themselves into the village the longer Hidan was gone it was to the point where Sakura no longer even saw the silver-haired man that had become her constant companion over the months they had been traveling and training together she was still of course doing her rituals and getting stronger and stronger each day 'Face it Saku-chan he's like a big brother' Inner snickered at the depressed girl as she dragged herself out of bed that morning to take a shower.

'Shut up Inner' Sakura snapped angrily rushing through her shower so she wouldn't be late to work sluggishly dressing she had spent most of the night going through old notes she nearly missed Konan appearing in the middle of her hotel room "Sakura-chan" the blue-haired woman asked worriedly she had noticed over the past few days how depressed Sakura was getting and she had guessed it had something to do with Hidan so Pein had so kindly given the silver-haired man the next week off so that the two could spend some time together.

"Oh hey Konan-chan" Sakura looked up when her name was called and found the older woman standing in front of her "Why don't you take the next week off I'm sure I can handle you know who" Konan smiled kindly at the girl who blinked in surprise "I have to much to do" Sakura finally answered only stopping when Konan places a hand on her shoulder "Sakura that's the point take a break your no good to us if your exhausted" she patted Sakura on the head right as Hidan entered the room he took one look at her and then started laughing.

"We are a couple of sad fucking shinobi aren't we Sakura" Hidan chuckled when Sakura ran over to him looking much more awake than a few minutes ago and with a squeal of joy hugged him tightly "I know a shop just down the street from here that serves your favorite food" he offered he had drilled her friends before he got here to learn what Sakura's favorite food was tea and dango's because of how much her sensei back in the village enjoyed them Sakura herself had gotten a love of dango's and green tea.

"Really that would be great let me just change out of this" Sakura hopped up and down excitedly before grabbing a new outfit and rushing into the bathroom a few minutes later she ran back out and firmly attached herself to Hidan's side with that the two head out of the hotel and down the street when Sakura spotted the shop she smiled widely and physically dragged Hidan inside "2 green tea's and 4 orders of dango's please" Sakura smiled politely at the waiter who hurried off to place their order.

"What's it like being Pein's second advisor" Hidan asked the moment the waiter was gone "So much paperwork no wonder he gets angry anytime someone interrupts him I would be pissed as well if I had that many interruptions in a day" Sakura groaned slamming her head on the table "It's no wonder Lady Tsunade drinks a lot I would be driven to drinking as well" she admitted causing Hidan to start another round of laughter "I don't think I ever want to be a leader of a village" Sakura announced sharing her thoughts with him.

Before they could talk more Shikamaru flew into the tea shop and sat down next to her "Glad to see you looking much happier" he smiled, kissed her quickly on the cheek and then disappeared causing Sakura to blink in surprise "Well I think that's the fastest I've ever seen him" she said a moment later taking a stick of dango and sipping on her tea "You've been worrying him" Hidan accused it was actually because of Shikamaru that they both had gotten the week off Shikamaru promising to work twice as hard in their absence.

"I didn't mean to I guess I was just so used to being around you that I didn't truly realize I was missing you" Sakura avoided his violet gaze when a question she wanted to ask him popped into her mind "Hidan have you ever met a bug summons named Rora" she asked softly wincing at the crack Hidan's neck made when he swung his head around to stare at her "15 years ago, Rora belonged to my best friend her name was Yukina Kamizuru where did you hear that name" he asks staring at Sakura intently.

"You remember Tomo don't you" Sakura said instead of answering the question "Yeah the little twerp that you had help find my pendant" he nodded in acquiesce "Well Tomo is Rora's son, she's my summons" Sakura explained "That's impossible you, yourself said that your last name was Aburame" here he paused and Sakura nodded "Unless you were of the Kamizuru clan then Rora can't be your summons" Hidan finished "It's true though when I was 5 she was summoned and I became her mistress I remember it like it was yesterday" Sakura argued back.

"Show me" Hidan stood when Sakura stared nervously at him "See, the thing is I haven't actually been able to summon her yet" she frowned slightly disappointed in herself "We should get to work on that I feel like you haven't been truly pushing yourself since we came here" he smiled when Sakura hopped up excitedly "Absolutely" she breathed out "Let's get permission to head out of the village for a week long training session" Sakura suggested as they boxed up their dango and drained the rest of their tea.

"You think Pein will allow that" Hidan asked glancing down at Sakura "I don't know" she shrugged "If you asked I might allow it" Pein called down to them from above "Well then Pein-sama may we leave the village for the week for a training session" Sakura bowed low in respect "We'll all be joining you, I think after the last several weeks we all enjoy a week off" Pein looked down to Sakura his lips twitching up in amusement when she gave him a flat unimpressed stare.

"Don't worry Konan will check in every day of the week" he assured her "Awesome-sauce" Sakura laughed happily speeding ahead of Hidan to pack some things "Hey brat wait for me" Hidan called but she was too far away to hear him "I swear" he sighed giving Pein a wave and running down the street to the hotel where Sakura was already hurriedly packing "So maybe we can practice with your hair whip" Hidan suggested when she left it on her bed intending to leave it "Sure" she murmured in distraction and quickly shoved the pink whip into her bag.

After Hidan had packed they dropped their keys off at the front desk letting them know they would be gone for the entire week and with that they left the village and found the perfect spot Midori joining them a few minutes later half an hour later they were gearing up for their first training session in weeks "Show me what you've got Sakura" Hidan shouted from across the clearing as Konan, Pein, Asuma, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji joined them on the sidelines to watch the training session.

"Your on Hidan" Sakura smiled widely before going through her first set of handsigns "Water Style: Liquid Bullet" she called jumping on Midori so that Midori could shoot the bullet from her mouth it was moving so fast that Hidan didn't have much time to move out of the way "What the heck where did you learn that one" Hidan wiped his face feeling the sting from the bullet "Not telling a ninja never reveals all of his secrets" Sakura laughed teasingly as she dodged the kunai he threw at her.

"Water Style: Rising Water Cutter" Sakura whispered out slamming her foot on the ground as Ino starts cheering for her biting her lip in concentration the wave of water is sent rushing straight at Hidan who jumps into a tree to avoid the attack 'Fucking hell people really need to stop teaching her ninjutsu' he thought moving his head to the side to dodge the senbon needles hopping down he pulls out his triple bladed scythe and thrusts it at her slicing right through her clone he hadn't even seen her make.

Spinning to the side he dodges the water blade she had thrown flipping over Midori as she comes at him from his otherside to avoid the wolfs massive jaws as they tried to clamp down on his arm "That's no fair brat two against one is never fun" he laughed ducking and then throwing his scythe up to dodge the next water blade "Well your more than one person so I think it's fair enough besides how am I supposed to learn how to fight properly with Midori if we don't fight together" she called back sliding under him and sending a kick towards his ankle.

"I can't argue with that" Hidan grins lifting his leg and slamming his heel down on the ground where she cartwheels back to dodge the hit flipping onto Midori expertly as the wolf circles around after her failed attempt at catching Hidan "Come on Midori, Snow Style: Snow Jet" she yelled channeling her chakra into Midori again as the wolf spits out a wave of snow sending it crashing into a tree when Hidan rolls with a yell "You've definitely gotten better at that" he breathed out feeling his lungs burning at the exertion.

"What's the matter Hidan getting tired, at least while I've been helping Pein-sama, I've still been training you've just been running around hunting down contacts" Sakura giggled sending Midori to lay flat on the ground to avoid Hidan's scythe "Ok Midori I'm going to try something else" she whispered to the wolf as she jumped off allowing Midori to go sit on the sidelines for the time being as she ran through a new set of handsigns "Snow Style: Snow Field Jutsu" she slammed her hands on the ground creating a snowy training field.

The water turned to ice as the temperatures dropped and both combatants landed on the lake Sakura slid to pieces of metal onto the soles of her feet quickly using chakra to anchor them there so that she could slide around at a fast speed "Snow Style: Snow Disks" she called out ducking low avoiding getting beheaded but her cheek is sliced as the scythe is reeled back in by Hidan quickly chopping the snow and sending snow disks at Hidan she giggles when one hits him right in the face.

"Sakura" Hidan growls warningly trying to keep up with her "You've been improving on your speed I see" he dodges slipping and sliding on the lake as she skated towards him at an alarming speed forming handsigns behind her back "Snow Style: Snow Daggers" she whispers keeping Hidan distracted as she weaves her chakra into the snow concentrating on that while she moves into a taijutsu stance thrusting her palm out hitting Hidan in the side before kicking, punching dodging until the lake breaks from the force of their blows.

Frowning Sakura pours more chakra into her jutsu biting her lip and making it bleed before trying her genjutsu again waiting for Hidan to get in range before breathing out the words "Snow Style: Cool Down" her voice echoes confusing Hidan as he gets sucked into the genjutsu allowing Sakura to concentrate on her previous jutsu that still needed a little more chakra "Midori, Snow Style: Snow Blizzard Jutsu" she called out to the white wolf channeling her chakra into the wolfs receiver feeling Hidan breaking her genjutsu.

A flurry of snow decreases the visibility on the field allowing Sakura to full concentrate on forming her snow daggers as Hidan runs around on the field in a panic smiling widely as they finally finish right as Hidan locates her she calls out her jutsu again "Snow Style: Snow Daggers" she smirks sliding on the ice as her daggers slice into Hidan she knew it wouldn't do much damage but at least it would buy her some time to try something new pulling her pink hair whip out she channels her purple/silver chakra and lashes out catching his arm.

Using chakra she hauls Hidan up into the air his wide eyes seeking her out in the blizzard and not finding her and then with a downward flick of her whip sends him crashing into the ground huffing she struggles to do it again but she was finally reaching her limit 'I can't believe she's lasted this long' Hidan thought when the pink whip is retracted hastily and she comes running at him he hops up as they move into another round of hand to hand combat he must have hit to hard because Sakura is sent crashing into a tree dispelling all of her jutsu's.

When he ran over to her she was smiling widely at him as she healed her various cuts and bruises "Are you ok Sakura-chan" Chouji asked worriedly "I'm fine just a bit tired I think I used up most of my chakra with those last two jutsu" Sakura reassured the boy as Shikamaru came to sit next to her "Well at least we can tell the Hokage you haven't been slacking off while your out here" Asuma lit a cigarette before blowing out the smoke it drifts to Ino who spins around and glares at him disapprovingly causing the man to chuckle and ruffle her hair.

Speaking of hair Ino had just realized what it was about the girl that was so different "HEY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR" she screeched causing everyone to clamp their hands over their ears at the volume in which she had screamed "I cut it" Sakura shrugged seeing no other way to explain it "But why it was so pretty and long" Ino cried horrified that someone could treat their hair so callously "It's not the end of the world Ino, my hair will grow back" Sakura rolled her eyes while announcing this "I guess your right" Ino muttered sheepishly.

Brief conversation over Sakura finished healing herself and stood up "I'm starving" she laughed when her stomach rumbled in agreement "We still have our dango from earlier" Hidan gave her the box and she let out a happy shout before digging in "Mmmm" she moaned softly before sharing her dango with Shikamaru "So you two have been getting awfully cozy" Konan grinned down at the two teens who immediately turned red in sync "Well we are going to be married" Shikamaru blurts out wrapping an arm around Sakura's waist and bringing her closer.

Sakura was so close that she was almost sitting in Shikamaru's lap "Awwww that's just so cute" Konan squeals "Can I plan your wedding" she hurriedly asks wanting to get the promise first she was so excited she missed the look Shikamaru and Sakura shared "Konan-chan" Sakura whispered not wanting to hurt the womans feelings "It's an arranged marriage so Shikamaru's parents are obligated to plan it, we have no control over who plans it" Sakura stated softly "Oh" Konan answers sheepishly.

"Can people outside the clans be in the wedding" Konan asks again "We'd have to ask that ourselves" Shikamaru spoke up this time "Well do you know when the wedding is" Konan stares down at them wanting to get some kind of information "Whenever Shikamaru decides to propose in the future" Sakura laughed causing the woman to huff in exasperation "Do you know anything" Konan threw her hands up in the air when they shook their heads "Konan we promise to inform you when we have more information" Sakura giggled making the woman laugh.

"So have you two ever been on a date in your lives" Ino asks joining the barrage of questions "The day before I left" Sakura announced while rolling her eyes "Oh well have you two ever kissed" Ino grinned at them hoping to catch them off guard "Yes, we have Ino" Shikamaru gave the answer this time onyx eyes twinkling in barely concealed humor "So you were Sakura's first kiss, hahaha that's so uncool at least you knew what you were doing" Ino bursts out laughing missing the annoyed expression on Sakura's face and then suddenly it was silent.

Sakura had wrapped the sand she had around Ino's mouth cutting her off "Now, Ino your going to listen to me very carefully" Sakura stood up hands on her hips "Shikamaru, was not my first kiss thank you very much, it was Gaara" she finished and firmly sat back down before taking the sand from around Ino's mouth who was staring at her in shock "Gaara's that creepy redheaded guy that you always hung out with right" Ino blurted out immediately and Sakura nodded "How did you manage to get mister emotionless to let you kiss him" Ino snorted in amusement.

"Actually Ino it was the other way around he kissed me" Sakura announced smugly "What but that's not fair, I had to chase Shikamaru around just to get him to let me kiss him" Ino glared at Shikamaru who just shrugged and pulled Sakura until they were laying down and cloud watching "Women are troublesome" he yawned out getting a few chuckles from the adults "All I know, Ino is that I love Sakura" Shikamaru twisted his head to look at the blonde a fond smile on his lips as Sakura's breathing evens out signaling she had drifted into sleep.

"I've known I've wanted to be with her since we were kids Ino" he admitted "Aww that's adorable" Konan gasped out as they all settled around the fire Hidan had started making when it was clear Sakura wasn't going to do it like usual "So where did you learn to make a fire like that" Pein asked remembering how much the silver-haired man used to complain whenever they had to fend for themselves out on a mission "Sakura, whenever we camp out under the stars usually at her request she would build this massive fire and I would watch" Hidan whispered.

After the week long training session, Hidan and Sakura stayed in the Hidden Rain Village for 3 more months, Sakura turned 15 on her birthday the whole village gave her a birthday to remember and then Hidan decided it was time for them to move on Sakura was all for it she just had to do one thing so with the promise to hurry she ran to Pein's office and flew through the doors startling Konan "What is it Sakura-chan" Konan asks when Sakura looked at her sadly "Hidan wants us to leave the village" she admitted drawing a laugh from Pein.

"I think I can manage without you for awhile Sakura" Nagato came through the wall leaning on his stick Sakura had handmade for him "Are you sure Nagato" Sakura had at first found it weird to talk to the same person two different ways and still have to call each of them different names "Yes, I'm sure just leave any orders you have for me to Konan and I'll check in with you occassionaly" Nagato reassured her.

"Well if your sure" Sakura asked worriedly "I'm sure now go Hidan is getting impatient" Nagato ushered Sakura out of the office her waving the entire way as shey ran back through the streets towards the Hidden Rain Village gates where Hidan was tapping his foot impatiently "What took you" he folded his arms exasperated "Sorry just wanted to let Pein and Konan know so they wouldn't worry" Sakura grinned as he rolled his eys "I'm sure they'll manage" he quipped dryly "It's gonna be weird not being in a village again" Sakura announced and with that they were gone.


	45. 3 Years of Training Part 8

"Are you going to keep your nose buried in that book the entire time" Hidan asked frustrated they'd left the Rain Village behind almost 2 days ago and Sakura had stuck her nose in a book both of those two days "Hidan it's a book about fire jutsu's that I can practice" Sakura spoke without looking up "I'll hold you to that" Hidan told her as he speared the fish she had caught and set them over the fire to cook "I would expect no less" Sakura announced turning the page of her book when she had finished with the page she was on.

When Hidan called out that the fish was done Sakura set her book down just as Midori padded into the clearing they had made camp in "Mistress" Midori called in her soft voice making Sakura pause in reaching for a fish "What is it Midori" Sakura asked her eyes landing on Midori's "Someone approaches I know not who but they are strong" the wolf answered her white fur standing on end as she geared up to attack, opening her senses Sakura felt the 4 chakra's converging on their little clearing until a white and brown blur flew into the clearing.

"Raikage-sama" Sakura jumped up seeing Cee, Darui and Bee behind the huge muscled man "Brat" Ay greets looking around the massive chakra he felt until he settles his eyes on the huge white wolf feeling her chakra he prepares to attack when Sakura the little brat moves in his way "Outta the way kid that wolf is dangerous" he ordered and Sakura shook her head "She's my companion she won't hurt anyone" Sakura patted the wolfs head before climbing Midori and sitting atop the wolf to prove she was harmless.

Relaxing just a little "Fine, brat I'll believe you" Ay sighs out as they gather around the fire "Hidan we're going to need more fish" Sakura laughed, called Midori to her side and went back to the river Darui trailing after her to help "So when did the wolf happen" he asked casually "I have a name boy it's Midori" the wolf growled out letting her crystal blue eyes rest on Darui "Oh no offense its just you weren't with Sakura when she was in the hidden cloud village" he raised his hands to show he was harmless.

"I found her in a shop in the grass village a couple weeks after we left" Sakura explained as they reached the river and Sakura waded in after taking off her shoes and socks "What are you doing Sakura" Darui asked in confusion "It's a quicker method to catch fish" she explained again as she concentrated on forming her chakra strings shuriken attached to them as she started swinging them around her head and making the fish jump out of the water several passes later she has at least 5 fish.

Doing this again and again until she has at least 10 more fish Sakura finally walks out of the river smiled at Darui who felt pretty useless at that moment gutted and scaled the fish then strung them all up as they walked back to the camp where Cee was chatting with Hidan and Ay was scanning his surroundings "I've got more fish Hidan" Sakura threw the fish at the silver-haired man giggling as they smack his face ignoring the glare he threw at her and sat back down while shoving her nose in her book again.

"Sakura, I swear you spent to much around Konan and Pein" he sighed sulking "Well at least I didn't let the title they gave me go to my head" she laughed reading further about the jutsu "Isn't that one of the books I got you" Darui asked when he spots her reading it "I got this one from the Rain Village, I already read all the ones you got me Darui" Sakura admitted unashamed "Have you practiced all the jutsu's in them" Darui raised an eyebrow in question and she shook her head.

"No some of them were a little to difficult so I'm saving them to practice when I get stronger" Sakura looked up briefly to sprinkle some herbs on the fish "In the meantime I have plenty of things to practice until then" she finished with a bright smile sat her book down again and grabbed a fish and took a small bite "They are done" Sakura mumbled around her bite prompting everyone to grab a fish and start eating "Midori we'll practice after dinner" she assured the wolf that was restlessly pacing.

"Thank you Mistress" Midori howled in joy laying down in the grass to munch on the fish Sakura gave her when Sakura stood put away her herbs and books everyone stared at her as she moved further away so that they could practice "Watch this it's awesome" Hidan laughed as Sakura took her stance and then "Snow Style: Snow Field Jutsu" Sakura poured her chakra into the ground as it started forming snow changing the landscape before she called out another "Snow Style: Snow Jet" Sakura called.

This time Midori shot out a stream of snow that projected several meters crashing through 4 trees before finally dropping "Ok Midori" Sakura shouted before jumping on top of the wolf "Snow Style: Snow Armor, Snow Style: Snow Shield, Snow Style: Snow Blade, and Snow Style: Snow Clones" Sakura performed the various handsigns to the amazement of 4 of the men in the clearing as snow wrapped around Sakura formed the armor, and then a shield formed of course a blad made out of snow and the multiple clones.

"Where did she learn that" Darui asked eyes wide in awe "Well that has more to do with Midori than anything by sharing their chakra's, Sakura gained the ability to perform snow style jutsu's" Hidan explained smiling as Sakura and Midori worked in sync, Sakura had jumped off of Midori and now they were tearing apart one of the clones "Did she really find Midori in a shop back in the grass village" Darui asked curiously and Hidan nodded "Yeah and then we got to the Hidden Mist Village and she wanted tattoo's" he sulked while stoking the fire.

"You let her get tattoo's" Ay asked in disbelief "Yeah, you try telling her no and not giving in you'll find it's harder than you think, Ay-sama" Hidan chuckled "So what's up with the piercings" Cee asked this time "That's something she got in the Hidden Rain Village they are chakra receivers it helps Sakura channel her chakra into Midori" Hidan pointed out the earring on Midori's right ear "We've also been to just about every village except for 3" he sighed feeling exhausted just watching Sakura practice with her scythe now.

"Why did she cut her hair" Ay questioned "It was mostly my fault I kept telling her that she needed to cut her hair and she did in a fit of rage you have no idea how guilty I felt about that but at least it's growing back" Hidan grimaced it was true though her hair had reached waist length over the months because everyday she messed with it tugging on it and pulling it in frustration or styling the pink hair "I can imagine" Ay chuckled watching her swing her scythe through a Midori snow clone cutting it in half.

"Since the cloud village Sakura has gotten a lot stronger her speed has increased and her strength along with her chakra reserves, intelligence, well about everything including her medical ninjutsu" Hidan shrugged when Sakura started spitting mini fireballs in conjunction with Midori spitting out snow bullets it was chaos on her little training field as she changed tactics and started using water style it turning to ice in the frigid air and making it that much harder to destroy Midori stomping on one of the snow clones smashing it to pieces.

By now her training session had been going on for little more than 45 minutes and Sakura showed no signs of slowing down or even being tired as she jumped high into the air to dodge the swing of one of her snow clones, snow scythe twisting mid air "Snow Style: Snow Manipulation" she breathed out forming a platform in the air to kick off of and sending her self crashing to the ground, putting her scythe away Sakura pulled out one of her little puppets deciding that she would go all out this time.

Attaching visible chakra strings she sent the little puppet rushing forward spitting out senbon needles from it's mouth before being sealed 5 minutes later as it runs out stopping one of the clones with her chakra strings allowing Midori to rip it's head off with her massive jaws, breathing slightly harder now Sakura switches tactics and forms lightning around her hand as she moves onto taijutsu using earth style in conjunction with this as the ground moves and lifts her up rising and falling destroying half of the left over clones.

Feeling her chakra running low now Sakura pulls out her pink whip and channels her purple and silver chakra into it before swishing the whip and sending it cracking through 3 of the snow clones cartwheeling backwards to land on Midori as they rush through the snow covered grounds destroying the rest of the clones before releasing all of her jutsu's feeling proud that she wasn't on the verge of passing out this time as Midori walks them over to the fire to warm up sliding off Midori as they got close enough Sakura assesses the damage.

Smiling Sakura heals the cuts and bruises finding a lot less than usual it meant at least to her that she was getting better at dodging "Well I see some improvements" Hidan chuckled and handed her a scroll that was filled with her favorite treats "Ooohhh thanks Hidan how did you know" Sakura squealed taking a stick of dango and nearly eating it whole "Well before we left I bought a whole bunch of them along with this" Hidan grinned as he held out an entire package of green tea mixture.

"Awesome-sauce" Sakura smiled gave Hidan a quick hug and then made her a cup of the green tea as she ate a few more sticks of the treat "When did you get a love of that stuff" Darui asked not once during the entire time that they had been in the Hidden Cloud Village did he ever get the idea Sakura loved dango and green tea if he had, he would have taken her to the shop down the street from his apartment complex and treated Sakura to tea and dango's "My sensei back in the Leaf Village" Sakura muttered feeling full.

"How come you never mentioned it back in cloud" Darui stared at her with a questioning gaze and she laughed softly leaning her head on Midori as she got comfortable "Well, I'll admit it's only been in recent months that I've truly gotten into the snack" Sakura admitted closing her eyes and yawning widely "You got to used to having Shikamaru around" Hidan rolled his eyes chuckling when she stuck her tongue out at him childishly before letting out another yawn a few minutes later her breathing evened out signaling she had fallen asleep.

"Does she do that often" Cee asked worriedly "Yeah, she'll be fine when she wakes up" Hidan settled down in his own sleeping bag after throwing a blanket over Sakura as Midori curled around her mistress "You sure" Cee asked again "Definitely Sakura will be just as hyper and full of energy tomorrow as she was today, we've just settled into a routine were we go to sleep early and wake early" Hidan shrugged violet eyes popping open to stare at the three men signaling to be quiet before closing his eyes and drifting off himself into a light sleep.

Standing silently Ay gestures for the 3 to follow him once they were far away Bee spoke in a confusing rap "Pink has grown, she still has her destiny to discover yo" he did his signature rap moves then fell silent "What did you mean by destiny Bee" Ay asked suddenly after mulling over the words "She doesn't know who she is yo, giant moths and bee's to go yo, her destiny is not of this world yo" Bee rapped again making the three even more confused "Are you saying Sakura isn't completely human" Darui finally asked.

"Another personality she has inside it will help her find her true heritage yo" Bee says instead of answering the question as he looked towards Sakura who had purple and silver chakra surrounding her body as a cloak reminiscent of a tailed beast cloak each of the men that had gotten close to the girl stared in horror before running over to Hidan "Hidan" Ay hissed and the silver-haired man jumped awake in alarm "What is it" Hidan asked his heart pounding in fear "Do you know who or what Sakura is" Ay snapped harshly while dragging Hidan to a different area.

"I have my suspicions but until she can correctly summon Rora then I can't say for sure" Hidan sighed seeing the chakra it was something Jashin had taught him to protect Yukina his silver chakra cloak mixed with her pink chakra "What is Sakura" Darui asked the question they all wanted to know "Like I said I can't say for sure but if my suspicions are right then she's the child of a god and mortal woman" Hidan scratched his head whispering the words out loud, if he was truly right then he'd finally found his godchild.

"That's impossible gods don't exist" Ay waved the "I wouldn't be so sure of that" Shikaku dropped out of a tree he'd been looking for Sakura and Hidan for months "Why do you say that Shikaku-san" Darui looked to the scarred man "For weeks I watched Sakura do her rituals, I even watched her sacrifice someone Orochimaru sent after Lady Tsunade each time firmly implanted the thought that gods really do exist otherwise Sakura would be dead by now" Shikaku explained pulling out a book he had found in the library.

"I found this book from ancient times about the god of slaughter Jashin before humans walked the earth God's did until they retreated into their own individual realms, Hidan when you speak with Jashin do you end up in a dark garden with a red moon" Shikaku half explained and half asked "Yes" Hidan nodded seriously "There's a tale from about 15 years ago that Jashin met a human woman and fell in love with her, they had a child that was stolen away" Shikaku peered into Hidan's purple eyes.

"Is Sakura that child" he finally asked "I believe so" Hidan sighed not sure how he should be feeling about this 'Wait till Jashin hears man he will so blow a gasket' he grimaced patting Midori's head as she came over and sat down with a huff "Oh now that your here, how are those 6 idiots doing back in the village" Hidan asked scratching Midori's ear now "The ones that defected from Orochimaru they have fully integrated into the village now" Shikaku grinned fondly in Sakura's direction.

"Inoichi once told me that he met a person inside of Sakura's head that called herself Inner" Shikaku suddenly remembered "Did you just say Inner" Hidan swirled around eyes wide in fear "Yeah kicked him out of Sakura's head when he finished searching through her memories" Shikaku narrowed his eyes in concern "Oh my Jashin an Inner persona is something that only forms in Jashinists when they can't handle the burden of their current life style" Hidan hastily explained to the men.

"But there is one serious side effect the more she performs her rituals the stronger this inner persona gets until they are strong enough to take over their outer selves body and do whatever they want including destroying everything that their outer self loves" Hidan whisper yells "I don't have one because I thought I lost everything I loved long ago and plus I would know how to control this being" he breathed out struggling to not run over to Sakura and pull her into her arms in panic.

"Calm down Hidan is there anything that can be done to stop this from happening" Shikaku tried to calm Hidan down "One thing only a battle between the two the one that wins gets to keep or takeover the body they are in" Hidan announced "Do we get to watch the battle" Shikaku asked feeling useless when Hidan shakes his head "No it will be a mental battle of wills" Hidan rubbed his tired eyes "Does Jashin know about any of your suspicions" Shikaku spoke up and by Hidan's instantaneous reaction it was clear the god of slaughter didn't know anything at all.

"Tomorrow explain to her what's going on we'll be here in case something goes wrong" Shikaku places his hand on Hidan's shoulder in a move to comfort the obviously distraught man "Thanks it's going to be so hard" Hidan sighed 'Maybe it would have been better if I never told Sakura about any of this then she wouldn't be out here with me, no I can't think like that I have to believe' Hidan was having trouble keeping his thoughts straight as everything spiralled out of control.

The next morning Sakura woke up and felt multiple stares sitting up she blink and tried to smile but it came out as a grimace "Hey Shikaku-san what's going on" she tried to lift the depressive mood in the air without much success "Sakura how long have you had an Inner Persona" Hidan called out to her drawing Sakura's attention to his purple bloodshot eyes "Uh since I was 7" Sakura admitted stoking the embers and throwing more sticks to start the fire again "Sakura there's something I need to tell you" came from Hidan again worrying her even further.

"What is it Hidan" Sakura felt her heart speeding up in fear when she witnessed for the first time Hidan cry "Sakura you're very precious but the girl who calls herself Inner doesn't have the best intentions, she wants to take over your body eventually and if you don't deal with her now then you'll lose everything you love" Hidan gave her a watery smile that was supposed to reassure her but only made her own eyes well up with tears that quickly splashed onto her cheeks as a loud sob rips through the air making the others wince feeling guilty.

"It's ok Hidan" Sakura cried harder and wrapped shaky arms around Hidan for a hug that he easily returned a few minutes later Sakura pulls back swipes the tears from her cheeks and eyes smiled widely at Hidan who stared in concern knowing exactly what she was doing as she set her face into a firm mask "What do I have to do" Sakura asked in determination shocking everyone in the clearing "Your to young Sakura it doesn't have to be now" Hidan hurriedly tried to dissuade Sakura from doing this.

"You said that if I don't deal with her now then I'll lose everything" Sakura scowled deeply making Hidan gulp nervously as his words come back to bite him in the ass "Sakura are you sure you want to do this" Shikaku spoke up from behind her "Yes, I'm sure" Sakura nodded seriously while folding her arms "There you go Hidan just tell her what she has to do" Shikaku announced wishing that this didn't have to happen but knowing that it was going to anyway 'Sakura you just have a way of getting into trouble' he sighed in his thoughts.

While he was thinking Hidan was giving Sakura the run down "What you have to do is call out to her much like you would if you were praying to Jashin, once you have her attention challenge her, and for Jashin's sake don't fucking lose" Hidan stressed squeezing Sakura in another hug "I promise" Sakura took a deep breath then released it, leaned against Hidan before closing her eyes "Inner come out, come out wherever you are" Sakura called in the abyss of her mind until the purple haired, forest green eyed girl started forming.

"What is it Saku-chan" Inner stared at her long time companion not noticing that she had been figured out "Inner, I Sakura Aburame challenge you to a battle, I won't let you take over my body" Sakura shouted harshly angry that she had been deceived all these years "Oh looks like I've been found out" Inner sneered "That's right you traitor" Sakura snapped angry tears falling down her cheeks as the landscape changed to Inner's favorite place it was much darker and more dangerous than she remember.

"Traitor huh, who's the one deceived their Hokage right up until they died hmm" Inner asked causing Sakura to wince as the words hit home "I didn't deceive Lord Hokage I wanted to protect him, he was so kind to me" Sakura yelled back determined not to let Inner win this battle of words "You really believe that, who was it that cried over Sasuke and then murdered an innocent man in her rage" Inner bared her teeth "Dosu wasn't innocent, he would have killed me" Sakura snapped back.

"Ahahaha then what about that person you killed before you left on this journey" Inner gave her a scary smile "He would have killed Lady Tsunade, none of the people I've sacrificed were innocent" Sakura fought back feeling confident in herself that she could win "Did you know that those so called friends of yours, Kimimaro, Sakon, Ukon, Tayuya, Kidomaru, and Jirobou previously worked for Orochimaru" Inner smirked as Sakura stared at her "You don't think I already know that" Sakura shook her fist.

"But, it's the fact that they left Orochimaru that counts" she finished as Inner wavered "You've won this round Sakura-chan" Inner smiled causing the hair on the back of Sakura's neck to rise at the malicious smile "But you haven't won the war" Inner tsked waving her finger teasingly "Maybe not but if you think I'm going down with out a fight Inner your dead wrong" Sakura shouted straightening her back in confidence as her emerald eyes hardened in sheer determination.

Inner was angry if it hadn't been for that damn blonde questioning her then she would have had a few more years to gain strength, smiling Inner forms an idea and changes tactics "Saku-chan, are you really going to believe those people over me, I've been your friend for years helped you get stronger" Inner fake cried "That won't work on me Inner maybe you've been my friend, and maybe you've even helped me get stronger but there is no way in hell I'm going to believe your lies any more" Sakura pointed her finger right at the other girl.

Taken aback at the vehemence in which Sakura had spoke Inner was furious "You won't win" Inner disappeared using Sakura's favorite tactic in battle letting a hiss of frustration out as Sakura spins out of her path and she is sent careening to the ground "That also won't work Inner" Sakura scowled "You bitch" Inner flew at her fist raised high only to miss as Sakura tripped her "How this is my world that I created I should have full control over you and this place" Inner snapped tripping on the grass.

"You forget Inner this isn't just your mind, it's my mind to" Sakura stared sadly down at the girl, on the outside almost a full hour had passed Sakura growing pale and cold then growing warm as the two fought within "How do you think she's faring" Darui asked pacing his hands were shoved deep in his pockets, Midori was restless as well as she walked alongside Darui while the others just stared down at Sakura in concern "I believe she's winning if only" Hidan breathed out as her cheeks regained color momentarily before paling again.

Back on the inside the two had started a taijutsu spar each of them getting several hits in until both knocked each other back Sakura was crying tears as they fought it was so hard forgetting how much this girl had helped her over the years and then to face her as the enemy 'Now I know how Itachi felt all these years' she thought feeling clueless on what to do 'What would Hidan do' Sakura asked herself when the idea came taking a deep breath Sakura dodged Inner's next attack then let the breath out slowly before switching off all of her emotions so she'd feel nothing.

Opening her eyes Sakura stared blankly before running through a set of handsigns unknown to Inner "Psshhh you think that'll work I know all of your jutsu's Saku-chan" Inner laughs only to be cut off as she gets trapped "Not all of them" Sakura stood there "Water Style: Water Chains Jutsu" she whispered before forming more handsigns "Water Style: Water Sword" Sakura called softly holding out her hand as a blade of water formed grasping the sword Sakura swung it side to side walking forward slowly.

"Wait a minute Sakura you don't want to do this if you kill me you'll never get out of here" Inner blurted but Sakura didn't pause in her movements as she raised the sword high and struck true right through Inner's chest "Inner even if I'm stuck here at least I know I ended you" Sakura spoke emotionlessly taking the water blade out causing blood to pour down Inner's chin as the girl coughed up blood "It looks like you've surprised me Saku-chan" Inner smiled one last soft smile 'I wouldn't have taken over her' she thought closing her eyes as Sakura raised her blade again.

"At least I'll know when I die you'll be strong enough to handle your new responsibilities" Inner coughed wheezing as blood poured into her lungs from the puncture wound Sakura had made "What do you mean" Sakura finally paused in her attack but held firm with the water chains to make sure this wasn't another trick "You'll find out Saku-chan" Inner smiled again "Go ahead, by the way I was lying about you getting stuck here" she finished as Sakura raised her blade high and struck Inner through the heart.

Feeling dizzy as Inner starts fading and the girls chakra merges with hers Sakura sits down in the mindscape as black dots fill her vision falling over Sakura lets out a scream of agony as her stomach feels as if it was just set on fire a moment later the pain faded and she woke up on the outside "You won" Hidan breathed out running a hand through his silver hair in relief.

"Of course I won you dolt" Sakura patted his cheek affectionately tears gathering in her eyes and dripping down her cheeks as a purple and dark green butterfly flys overhead "Well now that Sakura is fine we'll be taking our leave" Ay stood gestured for his men and Bee to follow and disappeared, Shikaku followed a few minutes later waving at the 3 left in the clearing "She tried to make me lose confidence in myself" Sakura whispered softly sitting up and feeling extremely sore not to mention exhausted that's when she notices that the sun was high over head.

"You've been in there all night" Hidan chuckled as Sakura's stomach rumbled in hunger before pulling out the scroll full of dango sticks "Eat, I'll make you some tea" he offered setting a kettle of water over the fire to let the water boil before mixing the green tea mixture into a cup "You can't imagine how tough it was to beat her" Sakura admitted leaning against Midori as the wolf settles behind her "I'm not sure I want to imagine what you went through" Hidan glared at Sakura who missed his expression as her eyes were shut in exhaustion.

"Why don't you rest for a little bit Sakura and then we can travel to my old village briefly and then move onto the last 2 villages that are connected together the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Rock Village" Hidan suggested leaning against a rock himself as his own exhaustion catches up with him setting a genjutsu around the area both fall into a deep sleep when they wake it's nearly 4 in the afternoon so they pack up and set off in the new direction Sakura jumping onto Midori several hours later once again feeling exhaustion set in.

When it hits night time they waste no time in settling down eating a light supper before simultaneously falling asleep after setting up another genjutsu the next morning they eat another light meal before packing up once again wanting to go as far as they could for the next week or so they travel quickly gaining more and more distance Sakura feeling stronger each day still mulling over the last words Inner had spoke to her it was weird not hearing a voice inside her head anymore but at least she was no longer in danger of being taken over.

Another week passes and then another until finally the three travelers crest over a hill reaching the village Hidan had long left behind steam was rising from the natural hotsprings and tourists were coming in from all over looking down at Sakura who was staring in awe he reaching up ruffled her hair though she was no longer the sweet innocent 13 year old "And this kid is where I grew up welcome to my village Sakura the Village Hidden in Hot Water" he boasted semi proudly, Sakura giggled "It's amazing" she whispered as they set forward into the village.


	46. 3 Years of Training Part 9 The End

Hidan and Sakura spent two weeks in Hidan's old village on the last day, Sakura met someone she'd never seen before as she soaked in the hotsprings, she was a blonde woman with black eyes "Hello" she called out softly drawing the womans attention "Oh hello" the woman stretches like a cat "My name is Sakura Aburame, are you really from the Hidden Cloud Village" Sakura asked excitedly "Ah so your the one who's got Bee all in a hype, I'm Yugito Nii and yes, Sakura-san I'm really from the cloud village" Yugito yawned again and settled in the water.

After that Hidan and Sakura left after getting gifts for her friends back home and a new headband for her collection as they travelled across the lands heading straight for the last two villages by now they had a year left on their 3 year journey, Sakura was starting to long for her village "We're almost done Sakura" Hidan ruffled her long hair again as they set foot onto rocky terrain soon after they met an old man with red hair who hopped up upon seeing them "No one passes into Stone territory by order of the Tsuchikage" he called standing in their way.

Seeing Hidan getting ready to fly into an angry rant Sakura pasted her sweetest smile on her lips before walking forward "Sir, we are here by order of the Tsuchikage, his name is Ohnoki and his granddaughter is named Kurotsuchi" she explained the closer she got the more relaxed Roshi felt it was like this girl was calming to Son Goku the blasted four tailed monkey never relaxed he was always restless "Where's your proof of this order" Roshi asked waiting for the girl to sigh in frustration as she headed back to her friend.

A few minutes later she comes trotting back over to him and holds out a scroll for him to take opening it Roshi allows his eyes to scan across the scrolls contents before sighing "Very well then I am Roshi and I will be your guide through the Rock Village until we reach the Hidden Stone Village" he told them before taking off at a quick walk part way through the rock village he had to stop due to Sakura stopping and grabbing several items before stowing them in a scroll "Sorry Roshi-san" she smiled sheepishly at him.

"Oh that's right we haven't introduced ourselves" Sakura smacked her forehead lightly "That's Hidan, and over there is Midori" she introduced first "And I'm Sakura Aburame" Sakura leaped to his side with a jump as she held out her hand "It's very nice to meet you Roshi-san" she bowed her head politely "Your a strange girl" Roshi blinked but shook her hand anyway "Not the first time I've been told that" Sakura laughed softly all while keeping pace with him "Do you have a beast inside of you" Roshi finally asked.

"You mean tailed beast right" Sakura questioned and he nodded "I don't but I've been told that my aura is soothing to a tailed beast" she rattled off "What brings you this way Roshi" a brown haired man stop them before they entire Hidden Stone "These people claim to be Ohnoki's guests" Roshi gestures to the two "Are you from the Leaf Village, if you are I'm Kitsuchi and I'll be your escort to the tower" Kitsuchi quickly introduced himself when the two nodded and he quickly took over dismissing Roshi.

"See you later Roshi-san" Sakura waved sitting on Midori sideways "I swear Sakura your to kind to strangers" Hidan let out a long sigh as they now followed Kitsuchi "Can't help it that I didn't get the anti-socialness of the Aburame clan" she giggled back as they entered the Stone village and walking through the streets getting wary and suspicious looks as they went "Here we are, just head on in and you'll be taken to see the Tsuchikage" Kitsuchi pulled the group to a stop in front of the weirdest building they had ever seen.

"Thanks Kitsuchi-san" Sakura smiled brightly before hopping off Midori giving the wolf a couple of orders before letting Hidan lead her into the building once in they were ushered straight into Ohnoki's office "It's about time you got here" Ohnoki griped the minute they were within earshot "We are very sorry Ohnoki-sama" Sakura bowed low while Hidan only dipped his head with that Ohnoki began grumbling under his breath a few words loud enough to be heard before the old man let out a sigh and called Kurotsuchi into the office.

"Sakura-chan" the female smirked eyes sparkling mischievously internally laughing when Ohnoki let out another round of grumbles before falling silent "Hello Kurotsuchi" Sakura smiled softly at the older girl as Ohnoki searched for some official documents on his desk "Here" he finally handed a white sheet over to Sakura before handing another to Hidan "Sakura, you get to stay with me and Hidan get's to stay with Akatsuchi" Kurotsuchi smothered her next laugh with a hand before attaching herself to Sakura and quickly leading her from the office.

"Later Hidan" Sakura called softly so as not to disrupt anyone from working, once they were free of the building Kurotsuchi grinned and lead her around a cliff side building and up 7 flights of stairs to her own apartment "Welcome to my place" Kurotsuchi threw her arms out to show off her house which was dirty and needed a lot of cleaning up, seeing Sakura's slight grimace Kurotsuchi rubbed the back of her head sheepishly "I know how about we work on cleaning this place up" Kurotsuchi offered and Sakura nodded eagerly.

"Let me just go get some trashbags" Kurotsuchi sighed but before she could go far Sakura had pulled out several sealing scrolls "Don't worry Kurotsuchi, I've got these" she held them up for the older girl to see before handing over 3 of them and soon they were hard at work, neither of the girls barely noticing when Kitsuchi walked in, he would have been completely missed if Sakura hadn't raised her head and looked straight at him and with another smile "Hello Kitsuchi-san" she greeted again this cause Kurotsuchi to pause on her side of the room.

"Hey dad" Kurotsuchi greeted before turning back to cleaning up her home "I see Sakura-san here is a good influence on you" Kitsuchi held back his smirk, ignoring the small glare his daughter threw at him before handing over a scroll to Sakura "Ohnoki-sama wants you to take on missions while you are here" he explained simply with a shrug of his shoulders, nodding at both girls he left the apartment chuckling "I swear old man can't leave anybody alone" Kurotsuchi grumbled under her breath sulking.

"I'll make dinner" Sakura offered wanting her new friend to smile again "I can't ask that of you" Kurotsuchi flung her head up to stare at Sakura before shooting her offer down as quickly as Sakura had offered it "It's ok, I love cooking" Sakura announced "Alright" Kurotsuchi grinned again and soon they had the entire apartment clean "Wow I don't think I've seen this place so clean" Kurotsuchi whistled in awe as Sakura emptied the sealing scrolls in a giant trashbag before heading outside to dispose of it.

When Sakura came back in Kurotsuchi had flopped down on the couch, completely sprawled out "Should be enough ingredients in the cabinets" Kurotsuchi yawned before closing her eyes only to open them a moment later, stomp over to her door and yank it open right as Akatsuchi and Hidan come around the corner of the building "Is Sakura here" Hidan asked leaning against the door arms folded and a cocky smirk on his lips, this caused Kurotsuchi to roll her eyes and point at the kitchen where soft whistling could be heard.

"Could you bring her to the training grounds after you eat dinner" Hidan straightened letting his arms hang limply by his side as Kurotsuchi nodded before abruptly shutting the door in his face 'I probably deserved that' he groaned rubbing his nose before following Akatsuchi down two flights of stairs, meanwhile Sakura was making her homemade white sauce throwing seemingly random ingredients into the pot "What ya cooking there" Kurotsuchi asked she was curious having always eaten out most nights.

"Oh well I'm making homemade veggie lasanga, I've already got the sauce and noodles cooking all thats left is the meat and veggies" Sakura looked up briefly from her cookbook to explain before spooning out some sauce to taste "Uh no offense Sakura, but that just sounds absolutely disgusting" Kurotsuchi felt a little sick at the thought of eating something so nasty "That's what Naruto said until I made him eat it now whenever I visit him that's all he wants me to cook" Sakura giggled tossing a bit more salt into the pan before straining her pasta.

Seeing that the conversation was over Kurotsuchi sat at the newly cleared off kitchen table that already had plates, silverware and some cups on it and watched Sakura finish their meal Kurotsuchi was at least determined to try this new dish even if it sounded revolting soon enough Sakura was placing the dish on the table before cutting a square and putting it on Kurotsuchi's plate before doing the same for herself and then she poured some tea into the cups before sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

Gulping slightly Kurotsuchi took a bite of the veggie lasanga, she chewed slowly before swallowing and promptly dug in "This is absolutely delicious" Kurotsuchi complimented between bites as Sakura laughed joyously "That's what Naruto said as well" Sakura gave a bright smile before taking a sip of her ginger tea "What kind of tea is this" Kurotsuchi had just taken a large sip of her own "Ginger tea" Sakura told her before polishing off her plate "Can we save the rest of that for later" Kurotsuchi asked gathering up the plates and putting them in the sink.

"Of course" Sakura nodded covering the food and placing it in the fridge before following Kurotsuchi out the door and to the training grounds where Hidan was ranting and raving when he spotted Sakura he whirled around "Geez how long does it take for girls to eat" he huffed which caused Sakura to laugh "It's called cooking takes time" she rolled her eyes "I want you to practice your summoning jutsu" Hidan ordered and Sakura nodded "Of course Hidan" she sighed and sat down on the ground.

5 hours later Sakura still hadn't made any progress on summoning Rora "That's enough for the day" Hidan stopped her when he saw how frustrated Sakura was getting "Alright, I was getting a little hungry anyway" Sakura admitted sheepishly stretching when she stood before following Kurotsuchi back to her apartment Midori trailing along as well when they got to the door Kurotsuchi turned around and jumped back in shock "Uh Sakura" she whispered not wanting to alarm the girl about the gigantic wolf standing behind her.

"Yeah" Sakura looked up "There is a giant wolf behind you" Kurotsuchi murmured causing Sakura to swing around and hug Midori, this caused Kurotsuchi to freak out a little bit and grasp a kunai "It's ok Kurotsuchi, this is my companion Midori" Sakura grinned patting Midori on the head "Your companion" Kurotsuchi was massively confused when they had been at the summit Sakura didn't have Midori "I saved her from a shop back in the grass village" Sakura explained seeing the confusion.

Nodding at the explanation Kurotsuchi watched as Sakura gave the wolf a treat that she previously hated giving her a quick pat Sakura prepared to send her off when Kurotsuchi called out to her "She can come in and what ever we don't eat she can have" Kurotsuchi offered but it wasn't Sakura who responded "Thank you Kurotsuchi-san" Midori bowed her head, this caused Kurotsuchi to let out a shout of surprise and press into her door "Sakura that wolf just talked" Kurotsuchi was obviously panicking.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to startle you" Midori closed her crystal blue eyes and bowed her head again "It's alright" Kurotsuchi finally relaxed seeing that Midori was no threat to her before leading the duo into her apartment, Sakura headed into the kitchen to heat up the food when she was done Kurotsuchi sat and both of them ate before Sakura set the leftover food before Midori who quickly dug in "Thank you mistress" she thanked Sakura profusely in between bites once she was done Sakura quickly washed all the dishes before heading to the spare bedroom to fall asleep.

The next day Sakura woke up to a loud howl from Midori which immediately set her on edge throwing the covers off of her Sakura flew into the living room where Midori was growling viciously at Ohnoki "Midori that's enough" Sakura ordered and the snow wolf flattened her ears to her head and whined softly "Ohnoki-sama what brings you here this early" she yawned with a small bow "I have a special mission for you" Ohnoki smirked and Sakura nodded.

This confused Ohnoki, who had been expecting to hear a complaint from the young girl, and so he decides to question her "Aren't you going to complain" Ohnoki asked and Sakura shakes her head "No" Sakura blinked in confusion "Nevermind just take this scroll and headband and start your mission" Ohnoki grumbled flying out the open window to get back to work while Sakura laughed softly not wanting to disturb Kurotsuchi before quietly slipping out the door Midori following her as Sakura read the scroll Ohnoki had thrust into her hand.

Switching her headband for the new one Sakura pulls her hair back into a long braid before putting it into a bun shoving the little scroll into a pouch she jumps atop Midori before ushering her through the village 'Ok I've got to find someone named Han and convince him to come back to the village' Sakura thought as she headed into the forest that connected with the Stone Village she travelled through the day before finally stopping for the night building a fire and gathering some food to eat before curling up next to Midori to fall asleep.

The next day was the same and so was the next and even the next day after that when she finally ran across a man wearing what looked like armor so she called out to him, however she wasn't prepared for the man to attack her 20 minutes later it was embarrasingly obvious that Sakura still had a long ways to go in her training as she slammed into the ground again "Wait, I'm not here to attack you" Sakura groaned out quickly healing the scrapes and throwing her hands up in the air to protect herself.

"Then why are you here" Han growled harshly 'Han calm down this girl, I don't know what it is but I like her' from within came Kokuo's voice which caused Han to completely halt his next attack "Ohnoki-sama sent me" Sakura's voice draws him from his impromptu conversation "Who are you" Han narrows his eyes in suspicion "My name is Sakura Aburame, I came from the Leaf Village on the request of the tsuchikage" Sakura healed the rest of her cuts and bruises as she introduced herself and explained why she was there in the first place.

"Your lucky little brat that Kokuo likes you otherwise you'd be dead" Han snapped before stalking off into the forest seeing this Sakura groaned and scurried after him "Wait, oh please wait" Sakura called only to promptly slam into his back as he stopped abruptly "What do you want from me" Han shouted angrily shoving Sakura away from him "Ohnoki-sama wants you to come back to the village" Sakura gulped silently as Han whirled around and glared at her "I refuse" Han's answer was swift and stubborn before he started stomping away again.

'This guy clearly needs a lot of work' Sakura huffed jumping onto Midori who had leapt out of the way when Han had started his attack before ushering Midori quickly after Han who was getting further and further away several hours later Han stopped for the night but he didn't build a fire so Sakura quickly ran around the small clearing and gathered everything she needed before lighting it and then pulled out a scroll that she had stored some food in and started cooking it before passing some over to Han who was stubbornly ignoring her.

After she finished eating Sakura gave her leftovers to Midori before crawling into her sleeping back when Han was sure Sakura was asleep he grabbed up the food and ate it "Stubborn brat" Han sighed before settling against a tree when he woke up the next morning Sakura was grinning at him mischievously ignoring her, Han stood cleaned up the clearing and left Sakura following him just like the other day, this goes on for the next several days until Han finally snaps "Alright fine I'll return to the village with you" he snapped in frustration.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to sn.." Sakura trails off when he glares murderously at her before turning Midori around leading Han back in the direction of the stone village a few days later Sakura, Midori and Han emerge from the forest Kitsuchi who had been walking by at that moment dropped his pack in surprise "You've had everyone worried" he accused "I'm very sorry Kitsuchi-san, Ohnoki-sama had me immediately start a mission" she jerked her thumb at Han who was clearly sulking.

"Well you better get him to Ohnoki-sama then" Kitsuchi stopped himself from chuckling, everyone knew Han didn't like people but obviously Sakura had managed to get through to him and bring him back to the village "Alright and again I'm terribly sorry" Sakura grinned before jumping from Midori and walking through the village, Han at her heels where she left him in Ohnoki's office before heading back to Kurotsuchi's apartment, however when she passed Akatsuchi's, Hidan who had just exited the house grabbed her into a bone crushing hug.

"Meet me on the training grounds" Hidan ordered before releasing her and heading down the streets with that Sakura carried on her way where she met Kurotsuchi who was grinning "So old man tsuchikage had you doing a mission" she started the conversation with a roll of her eyes before letting Sakura and Midori into her apartment "Yeah it was easy for the most part except for stubborn men" Sakura giggled dropping her things off in the spare bedroom before making a quick breakfast for the two of them.

"Well I'll see you later, Hidan wants me to meet him at the training grounds" Sakura washed the dishes before exiting the apartment Kurotsuchi following her a little ways to the training grounds she walked in a different direction when she reached the spot where Hidan was waiting for her, Han was practicing taijutsu on a dummy "Oh hey Han" she greeted sitting on the ground gracelessly and immediately got started on practicing summoning Rora after 3 hours Sakura let out a sigh and stood.

"I'm gonna get started on doing other missions so later" Sakura gave Hidan who was staring at her in concern, a small wave before trudging off "Does she usually get depressed like that" Han asked impulsively "No, but that summoning jutsu is a constant point of irritation for her" Hidan rubbed a hand down his face, Han who was somewhat curious about Sakura now that she wasn't bugging him stealthily followed her as she made her way around the village helping people out here and there and checking off things on a small scroll.

Suddenly she stopped and whirled around to stare at him in surprise "Oh hello" she greeted and he gave her a small wave and then in a move so unknown to him "I'll train you" Han offered which caused Sakura to stare at him in shock "You will" Sakura refrained from giving him a hug like she was used to do when she was happy "Yes but I expect you to train hard" Han nodded before leading Sakura in the opposite direction seeing as how she was now done with missions and to a different training ground.

And thus Sakura's training with Han began, every day after training with Hidan and doing little missions around the village Sakura snuck off to train with Han and when she was done she healed herself of the cuts and bruises before heading back to Kurotsuchi's to cook their dinner one evening Kurotsuchi struck up a conversation "Hey Sakura do you have a boyfriend" came the question, Sakura almost dropped the plate she was holding "Not exactly but when I get back to the village then yes" she admitted shyly.

"Well how did you get his attention" Kurotsuchi inquired curiously "I spent time with him" Sakura announced simply not understanding where this conversation was going "And what else did you go on dates" Kurotsuchi leaned forward eager to hear more "As of today we've only been on one date and that was before we left" Sakura furrowed her brows in confusion "But you like him" Kurotsuchi asked again "I love him" Sakura corrected, hearing this Kurotsuchi stared at Sakura in shock "Your just a teenager" Kurotsuchi stated "We'll be getting married" Sakura said again "When" Kurotsuchi asked in utter confusion.

"It's whenever he decides to propose" Sakura shrugged not worried in the least as she dried the last of the dishes and put it away "So is it true Deidara is a Leaf shinobi now" Kurotsuchi dropped her previous line of questioning for a new one "Oh Deidara-san, yes it's true" Sakura gave a half smile, seeing this Kurotsuchi turned out the lights in the apartment and they flopped down on the couch for a little while letting the silence settle around them before the both of them went to bed, Sakura was feeling a little more tired than usual.

The next morning Sakura didn't have training with Hidan as we sent out on an errand for the next couple of days and she didn't have any missions to do around the village so all that was left was training with Han so as quickly as she could she made breakfast ate hers then left a note for Kurotsuchi who was still asleep and slipped silently out of the house and down to the training grounds where Han was waiting "Today we will work on expanding your chakra coils" Han ordered her, and with that Sakura stood on the lake.

She stood on the lake the entire day focusing her chakra on the soles of her feet, Sakura most definitely felt the burn because her focus was crumbling and she was sweating horribly until she fell into the lake having finally reached her limit "That's enough head back" Han ordered again and so Sakura swam to the shore pulled herself out of the lake and trudged back to Kurotsuchi's apartment to make a quick dinner for Kurotsuchi and herself, making small conversation with the older girl before heading into the spare bedroom after a shower and she fell quickly asleep.

And thats how the rest of the month goes until it was finally time for Sakura and Hidan to leave they wanted to spend the last 10 months on the road and so they left 4 months later and Sakura training until her breaking point she finally felt ready to summon Rora "Hidan let's stop for the day" she called out pulling Hidan to an abrupt stop turning around Sakura had already gone through the handsigns "Plume Moth Summoning Jutsu" she called and the giant moth Rora finally appeared, before anyone could speak a voice called out "Big Sister Yukina"!


	47. Finding out the Truth Part 1

Before Sakura could look up a person slammed into her and gave her the biggest hug of her entire life a moment later the person started talking to her "You know when they told me that you were dead, I didn't want to believe it and I was right to believe it oh big sister how I've missed you so much" the brunette woman chattered in her ear before pulling back with a wide smile only to frown "Hey wait a minute you aren't Yukina" she blinked in confusion before turning to stare at Rora.

"No Suzumebachi-sama, Sakura is Yukina's daughter" the giant moth confirmed Hidan's suspicions with that one line and he released a long drawn out sigh of relief he had finally found his god child after so long "It's been 10 long years since I have seen you mistress and now that you have finally summoned me it is time you learned about your mother" Rora spoke, oh she knew all along that Sakura was Yukina's daughter, Yukina knew that something would happen the night of her birth and so she had insured that Rora would still be with her no matter what.

"Come climb aboard young mistress and company and I will take you to your birth place" Rora commanded lazily flapping her wings as all 5 humans plus a wolf climbed up her massive body and with a few strong flaps they were airborne, several hours later Rora landed "Mistress only you can remove the genjutsu that was placed here" she gently nudged Sakura forward who was clearly torn between climbing back on, and hugging Hidan so hard that he would feel it, or hastily removing the genjutsu so that she could find out more about her self like she had wanted to for years.

"I'm not sure Rora" Sakura finally admitted her heart was pounding in her chest as she turned to get assurance from the moth that had accepted her as a tiny child "You can do it Sakura" Hidan called from atop the giant plume moth, with that Sakura took a deep breath formed the hand signs to remove the genjutsu and then "Release" she called her voice echoing and then a small building appeared once the jutsu had lifted on the top of the building was a symbol she was very familiar with.

Tears gathered in Sakura eyes as a memory flashed into mind, something from so long ago that it felt like a dream but Sakura knew that it wasn't she took a small hesitant step forward before walking forward confidently the rest of the way into the run down temple inside Sakura looked around before her eyes fell on a torn picture "That's Yukina" Hidan stepped up behind her and place a soothing hand on her shoulder, Sakura took a shuddering breath before picking it up "I look like her" she muttered clutching the picture to her chest gently

"You look like your dad somewhat to" Hidan chuckled smiling sadly "Is Jashin really my father" Sakura asked finally "Yeah, that's not the only thing before you were taken I was dubbed your godfather" he grinned when Sakura's eyes lit up in happiness "How long have you known" Sakura accused a moment later "Well I wasn't entirely sure until you summoned Rora" Hidan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Sakura gave him a small glare but otherwise she was extremely happy to find out who she was "Does Jashin know" Sakura whispered and Hidan shook is head "I don't believe so" Hidan grimaced realizing what she was about to ask.

"I need to talk to him" Sakura bit her lip harshly as the other three slowly entered the building "Sakura maybe we should wait don't you want to meet your aunt and cousins" Hidan grinned shoving his thumb in their direction this caused Suzumebachi to glare heatedly at him and then flip her hair over her shoulder "Hidan you still haven't learned any manners" the older female smiled widely at Sakura to show she was just teasing before falling silent "I think we can wait" Suzumebachi nodded and the two males followed her lead.

"Thank you" Sakura smiled her emerald eyes shining with unshed tears at meeting her real father face to face, even though she had seen Jashin over a dozen of times it would be the first time she'd be meeting him as family, Sakura wouldn't admit it but she was absolutely terrified as she started the ritual that would bring her to Jashin's garden "Oh Mighty Jashin, God of this world, God of my flesh, God of my mind, God of my Innermost Will, Every part of this world is within your power, you are within every part of this world" she paused to take a deep breath.

"Every part of me is within your power, you are within every part of me, Of my own free will, I acknowledge your power, Of my own free will, I now present myself to You" as soon as she was finished she was sucked into the world of darkness "It's been a long time young acolyte since you stood before me" Jashin appeared on his rose thorn throne long white hair draped over his shoulder and his piercing red eyes were staring at her curiously "Jashin-sama" Sakura bowed low biting her lip harshly as she prepared herself.

It was clear that Sakura had something to tell him and he was getting rather impatient "Speak Child" he ordered feigning patience he watched as his youngest follower to this day took a deep breath and then another releasing each as slowly as possible before she settled her emerald green eyes on him, green eyes that were so reminiscent of Yukina's and then Sakura opened her mouth and closed it a few times before cursing softly by this point Jashin was getting angry with her and then finally she looked up, opened her mouth "I'm your daughter" Sakura said confidently.


	48. Finding out the Truth Part 2 The End

It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop as Jashin stared at Sakura with piercing red eyes after her statement "Your sure of this" Jashin finally asked sitting back in his throne and Sakura gave him a nod, red eyes lighting up Jashin stood and practically floated over to her "You truly look like Yukina" he admitted a moment later "Will you tell me about her Jash...Father" Sakura hesitantly called him father and Jashin was filled with joy an emotion he hadn't felt for almost 15 years.

"Come child" Jashin placed his hand on Sakura's head before leading her to a part of his garden that he hadn't visited "This was Yukina's favorite place when she visited me here we would dance together under the red moon every night" Jashin explained a smile on his lips before sweeping Sakura into his arms and spinning her around her laughter so like Yukina's filling the air "Was mom a Jashinist as well" Sakura inquired questioningly and Jashin nodded "Hidan and Yukina were best friends that's how I met your mother" Jashin sat gracefully on his throne.

"Tell me Sakura are you gifted in commanding insects as well" Jashin curiously stared at her and she nodded "The Aburame clan often called me the bug princess always kinda pissed Shino off even though he always denied it" Sakura grinned sheepishly "The reason for that is because your mother was the queen at using insects Rora is an ancient summoning only for those in the Kamizuru clan and extremely picky with her master or mistress" Jashin explained easily to the confused girl.

"Before you were born she sent the summoning scroll away somehow it ended up in the Aburame clan, Yukina knew that somehow you would end up there" he smiled down at her pride in his eyes at how strong his daughter was and he would never let her go again now that he had found her "It also explains how it was easy for me to remove and bestow upon you the power of immortality" Jashin smirked when Sakura nodded "Is Hidan really my godfather" Sakura laughed sweetly when he nodded.

"Go Sakura spend time with your living family" Jashin beckoned her forward for the first hug between father and daughter before sending her back to her body on the outside Sakura woke up and walked over to Suzumebachi, Jibachi and Kurobachi smiling nervously at them "Oh come on girl show some backbone" Suzumebachi jumped forward and pulled the girl into a hug glaring at the long pink locks "I swear I'm going to cut that hair of yours" she growled and Sakura quickly shook her head no.

"I've already cut it, not going to do it again once sorry oba-san" she grinned nervously before straightening her back when Suzumebachi gave her an unimpressed glare that quickly changed into a proud smile "Well it seems you do know how to stand tall and not let people walk all over you" she smirked easily before curiously eyeing Hidan "Oba-san do you like Hidan" Sakura giggles mischievously this caused Suzumebachi to snap her head in Sakura's direction and glare at her.

"I do not like that bonehead" Suzumebachi denies quickly turning red when Jibachi and Kurobachi snicker behind their hands to which she promptly smacks them both "So horrible anger management runs in the family" Sakura stares down at the two men that had slide to the ground upon impact of Suzumebachi's fist "Oh so you have a temper to, I bet it's nothing like Yukina's" Suzumebachi rolls her eyes remembering how angry her sister used to get at Hidan when he acted like an idiot.

"Actually Suzumebachi her temper is much worse" Hidan winces slightly in memory of all the times Sakura had beat him up whenever she was frustrated with something one memory in particular stood out above all others "Oh really what did she do" Suzumebachi asked curiously smirking as he rubs a hand down his face with a loud groan "Well I can admit it was mostly my fault but I made her mad and she cut her hair in a fit of anger in which she turned on me and beat my ass" Hidan sulks.

While the two were talking Sakura leaned down "So Oji-san" she started before stopping suddenly confused at what to say "Jibachi, Sakura that's my name" Jibachi groans rubbing the back of his head "Oh ok Jibachi" Sakura shrugs playing with her long pink hair as it pools on the ground "What was it like growing up for you" Jibachi inquires gaining the attention of Kurobachi and Suzumebachi as they sit on the ground of the run down Jashin temple "Well I grew up with an adopted older brother" Sakura started smiling fondly.

"So do you have a last name" Suzumebachi huffs impatiently "Aburame is the last name I was given when Shibi took me in" Sakura frowns when Suzumebachi growls at the name "So you grew up with those heartless Aburame bastards" she snaps irritated that her niece had grown up in the heart of their enemy "They aren't heartless in fact most of them are normal the person who was my dad loved me so much and took such great care of me" Sakura explained disliking the fact that her true family didn't like her adopted family not in the least.

"I suppose I can let the hatred go if only for your sake" Suzumebachi sighs out seeing Sakura's offended expression and the sadness in her emerald green eyes "Thank you" Sakura smiled sweetly at Suzumebachi who decided that maybe it wouldn't be so bad changing her ways "Hey Sakura we'll go back to the village with you I want to see the village you grew up in" Suzumebachi smirked when Sakura stared at her in shock before nodding excitedly "Awesome-sauce" Sakura giggled when Suzumebachi stared at her weirdly "Yukina used to say that" Suzumebachi admitted and Sakura nods extremely happy.


	49. Going Home Part 1

After spending the rest of the day talking to her newfound aunt and uncles, Sakura yawned so wide that her jaw cracked she let out a sheepish giggle after that and bid everyone a goodnight crawling into her sleeping bag Sakura let out one last yawn and instantly fell asleep the minute she was out Suzumebachi turned her gaze onto Hidan "So Hidan how long have you known Sakura" she asked simply when he just stared at her dumbly "Since she was 13 so about 3 years now" he threw Sakura a fond smile.

"Wow, we've missed out on so much of her life" Suzumebachi ran a hand through her hair sighing "Trust me I know but at least she grew up safe and sound" Hidan shrugged this caused all three of the Kamizuru's to nod along to the statement "I would have never guessed that those damned Aburame could even care much less take care of children properly" Suzumebachi sulked slightly and flipped her hair over her shoulder "Whenever she talks about them it's like they can do no wrong in her eyes" Hidan gave a half grin.

"Yes it was easy to see how much Sakura disliked the fact that we hated the Aburames" Suzumebachi rolled her shoulders to remove the stiffness that had settled from a long day of walking "Jesus how can you stand walking that much" she groaned rubbing her shoulders now in complaint "Oh Sakura loves to walk" Hidan teased lightly not wanting to start an argument or a yelling match because the last thing he wanted to do was wake Sakura not when she had just went to sleep and that would just start a whole new round of trouble for him.

"How long has it been since you've been back in the Leaf Village" Kurobachi asked when there was a lull in the conversation "Almost 2 years" Hidan huffed he wouldn't admit it but he was tired of traveling and he wanted to be back in the village soon "Wow" Jibachi whistled from the otherside of the fire "Yeah, I know Sakura will be glad to be back" Hidan threw another smile at the sleeping girl "Surely she doesn't just miss the Aburames" Suzumebachi questioned and Hidan shook his head.

"No, I'm sure she's missing all of her little friends and her ferret along with her boy" Hidan smirked when Suzumebachi hissed "You mean those fuckers, have her in an arranged marriage" she nearly shrieked but remember that Sakura was still asleep, Hidan seeing the fury in the womans eyes quickly explained "It was created upon her request, I'm sure either way she still would have married the kid" Hidan breathed out and Suzumebachi instantly calmed down "Don't tell me it's another Aburame" she sulked again.

"No his name is Shikamaru Nara they grew up together" Hidan chuckled softly in amusement "Don't the Nara's use their shadows" Suzumebachi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and Hidan nodded "I think I could think of worse people she could be getting married to" she finally sighed out feeling utterly exhausted "Well I'm going to bed" Suzumebachi stood up abruptly and stalked over to Sakura and laid down next to the girl wanting to be close to her niece, she was closely followed by Jibachi and Kurobachi and they all went to sleep just as quickly as Sakura.

The only ones left awake were Hidan and Midori "Come along Midori let's secure the perimeter" he gestured for the snow wolf to follow him as they left the clearing, looking for anything that could threaten their sleep before setting up a few traps here and there before the two of them headed back to the clearing and curled up together Midori didn't want to disturb anyone so she just settled with laying next to Hidan for the night the next morning the group swiftly ate breakfast that Sakura made and then they were off traveling again.

Once again Suzumebachi complained about walking all day "Jesus how can you stand walking all day" she huffed this caused the men in the group to roll their eyes and Sakura to walk over to her Midori following her "Oba-san if you don't want to walk for awhile, I'm sure Midori wouldn't mind letting you sit on her back for a bit" Sakura offered wanting to make her aunt comfortable "Oh thank you Sakura-chan" Suzumebachi quickly pulled the teen into a tight hug right as Midori spoke up "I would be honored to carry you" she spoke softly.

"Uh Sakura your wolf just talked" Kurobachi let out a yell and jumped back from where he had been standing next to Suzumebachi "Yes she often likes to freak people out" Sakura giggled and threw Midori an exasperated smile and the wolf let her white tail swish back and forth briefly in amusement "I'm terribly sorry Kurobachi-san" Midori lowered her head in apology and the man was quick to reassure her that he was alright after that Suzumebachi climbed astride Midori as they continued walking in the direction they had been going for a few days now when Sakura spoke up "Hey Hidan do you think we can stop by the Rain Village and check on how everyone is doing" she smiled sheepishly when he let out a sigh but he nodded anyway knowing that they would probably only stay for a bit.

With that they turned down the road that headed in the direction of the Rain Village, Hidan wouldn't admit it but he was curious to see how the village was doing as well "So" Suzumebachi started from her spot atop Midori in confusion "How long have you been affiliated with the Rain Village" she finished "Oh well Hidan and I spent about 4 months there" Sakura grinned widely she was eager to know how Nagato was doing because not once since they had left the village had he contacted her, she was worried that he wasn't taking care of himself.


	50. Going Home Part 2

When the enlarged group reached the village gates the guard jumped forward with a loud whoop giving Sakura a bow "Sakura-hime, I'm very pleased you've decided to grace us with a visit" this caused the three new people in the group to blink in confusion and stare at Sakura for an explanation "Oh well, I'm an advisor here in the Rain Village they call me that because it's what Pein introduced me as" Sakura blushed bright red in embarrassment "As long as you don't let it go to your head" Hidan laughed remembering Pein's words from all those months ago.

Once they got into the village loud cheering erupted from the citizens as they spotted the Cherry Blossom on their way to visit the Leader of the Village when Sakura opened the door she wanted to shut it almost immediately because there sat behind the desk was Nagato but she took a deep breath instead "Don't worry Sakura, people know about me now" Nagato was quick to put Sakura at ease when he noticed her fearful expression "Hello Hidan it's been a long time" he greeted the silver haired man who stared in confusion and Nagato let out a laugh.

"Uh no offense but who the hell are you" Hidan wanted to pull Sakura away from the new person "I'm Nagato or as you have known me Pein" Nagato introduced himself, a few minutes later it clicked for Hidan and he threw an accusing glare at Sakura "So this is the true reason you wanted to come back" he let out a sigh "Damn I swear you have more secrets than I've lived my entire life" he sassed and Sakura dropped to the floor laughing so hard that she was crying "I'm sorry Hidan" she hastily wiped the tears away.

"So Nagato-san how have you been" Sakura instantly went into medic mode when the red head threw her a sheepish smile "I've been doing great but it seems in the recent weeks my cough has been coming back" Nagato admitted and Sakura gave him a look full of disappointment "Have you been eating properly" she scolded him when his cheeks flushed in embarrassment "No, I've kinda deviated from your list of healthy foods" Nagato sulked in his seat feeling like a child getting scolded by his parents or worse his doctor "That wont do" Sakura huffed, and Nagato slumped further.

Sakura noticed his sulky expression and wanted to roll her eyes but she reigned in the desire instead she went behind the desk and went through the hand signs for the jutsu and quickly gave him a check over clicking her tongue disapprovingly when she had to heal some clogged veins and heal his intestines once again before checking his lungs over and healing them as well when she saw some fluid that wasn't supposed to be there and then pulled away this time the disappointment was clear in her eyes, Sakura geared up to give Nagato one last scolding.

"I'm severely disappointed in you Nagato-san" she started placing her hands on her hips "You promised me that if you had any problems that you would get in contact with me and not once in the recent months have I heard a peep from you" Sakura continued missing the conversation going on around her between Hidan and her aunt and uncles "She has a way of making people feel like a child doesn't she" Suzumebachi asked trying very hard not to smile but her lips were twitching in amusement as Nagato leaned his head on his desk with a groan.

"Yes, yes she does" Hidan sighed also trying not to laugh as Sakura continued on her rant meanwhile Konan was full on laughing she had a feeling this would happen when Nagato started complaining about not getting eat any sweets like he was used to and so she had given in and went to buy him some sweet dumplings of course it just had to be a few weeks after he had stopped eating as much healthy foods that problems started appearing again and it just had to be that day of all days that Sakura chose to show up.

"So we'll be staying a couple of weeks so that I can make sure you start eating properly again" Sakura finished her rant and noticed that Nagato was pouting "I don't mean to be pushy but since you asked for my help in getting better I have to make sure you stay healthy" Sakura gave the older man a brief hug and a bright smile and Nagato nodded in understanding everything she had said was of course right and he certainly couldn't get angry at her for doing what he had asked of her, so he gave her a smile.

Knowing that she wasn't asking she was demanding they stay for a couple of weeks Hidan nodded his acquiesce and so they rented rooms at the hotel they had stayed at all those months ago while Sakura took on some paperwork that Konan felt she could handle and checked in on her old students seeing that they had made amazing progress and all of them were doing well so there was no need for her to worry the one thing she hadn't missed though was getting wet everywhere she went and so she pulled out her umbrellas she had bought.

2 weeks later Nagato had started eating healthy again with a slight adjustment to the diet Sakura had given in and allowed a small snack in that was equal parts healthy and sweet nodding at his improvement she felt that it was time to move on again so she bid Nagato and Konan farewell and the enlarged group payed their rent and left the village headed to snow country they were going to make a small stop and visit Mifune and so a few days later they showed up at the building and quickly visited everyone and then they left.


	51. Going Home Part 3

They could've just headed straight to the Leaf Village and be there in a few days but no Sakura decided she wanted to go visit her friends in the Sand Village, Hidan sulked with his arms crossed it also didn't help that Suzumebachi laughed at him as they crossed the desert terrain in wind country "Oh come on Hidan what's a few more days as opposed to how long we've been gone" Sakura laughed sitting sideways on Midori realizing the truth in her words Hidan snorted in amusement "Suppose your right" he admitted just barely and Sakura shook her head.

Before they could go much further Baki jumped in front of them 'There's something different about him' Sakura tapped her lip in thought looking the older man over as he chatted with Hidan briefly when he turned towards her fully that's when she realized "Hey what happened to the Kage robes" she called out suddenly this caused Baki to chuckle "Well I was just the temporary Kazekage" he shrugged not wanting to ruin the surprise as he led them the rest of the way into the village "Well who's the Kazekage now" Sakura questioned curiously she seriously wanted to know.

"You'll find out here in a moment" Baki smiled kindly at the girl, Sakura really had grown in the past 2 years 'At least she's still the kind girl she was before' he thought with another smile before opening the door to the Kazekage's office where predictably Sakura gasped in surprise "Gaara is that you" Sakura blinked seeing her friend sitting behind the desk that belonged to the Kazekage "Yes, Sakura I'm the Kazekage now" Gaara let a small smile grace his lips "When did this happen" Sakura breathed out, again she seriously really hadn't been expecting this quite obviously.

"A year ago" Gaara grimaced not wanting to go into the details of how he became Kazekage because he knew that Sakura would fly into a rage at the thought of what he had been subjected to "Oh" Sakura missed the grimace "So how did it happen" she asked and Gaara resisted the urge to bang his head on his desk "Some villagers still didn't like me so they sent me on a suicide mission, Baki had no choice but to send me on it and when I came back I was appointed Kazekage" he explained simply and Sakura nodded.

Glad that she had taken that explanation without getting angry once Gaara released the breath he had been holding "You've grown up Sakura-chan" he teased lightly before directing another question at her before she could speak up "Are those piercings and do I spy a tattoo" he furrowed his forehead in concern 'Who would willingly get those things done' he shivered, Gaara really hated pain as witnessed in his match against Sasuke when he got hit in the shoulder he was so deep in thought he nearly missed Sakura answer "Yes, Gaara they are piercings and tattoo's" she giggled out.

"Tattoo's" Gaara frowned "Yes as in more than one" Sakura laughed at his expression it was the same one Kakashi had given her when he realized she had tattoo's "Don't worry Gaara" Sakura tried to reassure him that she was just fine and none of her tattoo's or piercings hurt "So what else has gone on since we've been gone" Sakura asked changing the conversation topic "Naruto came to visit" Gaara smiled fondly in remembrance even if he wanted to bash Naruto's head against the wall the next time he saw him "Uh oh that doesn't sound good" Sakura frowned.

She had picked up on Gaara's change in mood "Well lets just say he's still a knucklehead" Gaara said by way of explanation "Oh so nothing new he's still causing problems for people" Sakura let out a half groan half laugh kind of sound and buried her head in her hands shoulders shaking in silent laughter "Not much else has changed" Gaara gave Sakura another smile when she finally looked up for more information "Gonna go visit Temari and Kankurou so later Gaara" Sakura finally waved and then the entire group left the office so Gaara could work in peace.

Sakura skipped ahead relaxing when she spotted Temari just a little ways, away and headed towards the blonde female "Temari" she called out and Temari jumped a foot in the air from fright "Jesus Sakura warn a person" Temari laughed once her heart had calmed down "Sorry didn't mean to startle you" Sakura grinned not looking sorry in the least "You've gotten good at masking your chakra" Temari looked the girl over and smirked "That's a good look for you" Temari gestured at the piercings and tattoo's when Sakura stared at her in confusion which very quickly turned into understanding.

"You up to getting one more tattoo girl" Temari smirked when Hidan let out a groan as Sakura nodded eagerly "Can we pulled Kankurou onto the get a tattoo band wagon" Sakura grinned as Temari let out a loud laugh "Come on lets go see" with that both females set off at a rapid pace when the found the boy they latched on which confused him but when he saw where they were leading him he squirmed every which way he could to get away of course it did him absolutely no good as they headed into the tattoo shop.

"You guys are mean" Kankurou sulked but secretely he was a little happy that they wanted to get matching tattoo's with him "Think of it as a gift from me to you two" Sakura offered with that the three of them got infinity signs tattooed on their lower backs when they were finished Gaara walked in who had decided to take a little break, looking a little jealous he would get a tattoo if that's what Sakura wanted "Come on Gaara" Sakura smiled at him reassuringly and so even he got a tattoo afterwards they left the village heading home.


	52. Going Home Part 4 The End

Several hours after they left Wind Country and the Sand Village behind, Sakura peeled off her bandage to let her new tattoo get some air "You know, the Aburame's are gonna flip right" Hidan smiled when Sakura grimaced "Possibly but as much as I love them, I'm hoping that they'll let me get my own apartment, I feel as if I'm old enough to live on my own" Sakura explained glaring at her hair now that it was long again she had to fight with it to do anything "Just cut it again" Hidan dodged her punch with a laugh.

"That's not fucking funny Hidan and you know it" Sakura hissed remembering the last time he suggested she cut her hair "I know but looking back you got to admit it was kinda of childish" Hidan teased when she threw a glare at him before crossing her arms and sulking for the next hour "Come on Sakura, your not still angry over that are you" Hidan gave her a look of concern when she still didn't say anything only to see why apparently she had drifted off to sleep while riding Midori, so he just let her be for now.

A few hours later Sakura woke up with a start as Midori came to a screeching halt "What" she blinked blearily looking around only to find the reason they had stopped was in the form of Naruto and Jiraiya apparently they had been waiting for awhile and jumped when they noticed someone was approaching "Sakura-chan, boy am I glad to see you" Naruto all but ran towards her only stopping when Midori let out a warning growl at the knuckleheaded teen "Don't worry Naruto, Midori won't hurt you" Sakura reassured before walking forward to pull him into a quick hug.

"Midori this is Naruto" Sakura introduced the two while Jiraiya cautiously stepped forward staring at the massive wolf in awe "Wait a second isn't that the wolf we saw back in the grass village" Naruto exclaimed a moment later and Sakura nodded her head "She's the last snow wolf on this earth" Jiraiya frowned at the statement surely she couldn't be the last of her kind but seeing as this particular wolf was wasting away back in a shop when they had last seen it couldn't be far from the truth "Hello Naruto" Midori spoke softly waving her tail rapidly.

Naruto let out a screech that could wake the dead and jumped behind Jiraiya, Sakura laughing the moment he had done so "It's ok Naruto, Midori has the gift of speech" Sakura tried to explain "She's like Tomo only she isn't a summons, she's my life partner now" she found the right words and Naruto peeked around Jiraiya to stare at her before slowly walking forward again and patting Midori on the head in apology "I'm sorry Midori-chan" Naruto scratched her ear gently causing the wolf to let out a sigh of content she loved getting pampered like this sometimes.

Seeing this Sakura pulled out a brush and a small bag of treats before handing them over to Naruto who seemed to enjoy bestowing attention onto the wolf, he immediately began running the brush through Midori's hair removing any tangles every once in awhile giving her a treat 30 minutes later Naruto handed the empty bag and brush back over to Sakura gave Midori one last pat on the head and smiled at Sakura sheepishly "Sorry it's just she's so soft" he admitted flushing at the girly statement "Knucklehead" Sakura announced fondly pulling him for another hug while patting Midori.

Once the greetings and introductions were finished the once again enlarged group continued on their way towards the Leaf Village a few hours away they decided to make camp for the night all of them were restless so when the morning came they didn't bother cooking breakfast they could stop at Ichiraku ramen and quickly continued on their way to the village when they reached the gates it was large crowd that met them and Sakura let out a happy sigh 'There's nothing like home sweet home' she thought fondly as Shino, with their father in tow approached her quickly.

"Welcome home Sakura" they greeted obviously both males were a little upset that Sakura had piercings and tattoos but they weren't going to complain they were just glad that the girl was back it was hard getting used to not having her around "I'm glad that I'm home to there's something I want to talk to you about later" Sakura bit her lip nervously it would be hard for her to ask for even more independence but she never really belonged with the Aburames in the first place seeing his daughters expression Shibi nodded allowing the next person their time.

For the next several minutes Sakura is greeted by several people all of her friends that she had made of course the dooking of Sasuke met her ears just before the large ferret jumped at her from Yoshino's arms but there was one person who she hadn't talked to yet allowing her eyes to scan the crowd of people that had gathered Sakura spied the familiar chunin vest of Shikamaru and handed Sasuke back over to Yoshino and instantly jumped forward and latched onto the now 16 year old male "Shika-kun" she murmured happily giving him an extremely tight hug.

Turning around in Sakura's arms at the murmur of the nickname because nobody else would call him that "Sakura" Shikamaru wrapped his arms around his girlfriends waist because she was back he could now call her that smirking at the thought it was clear Sakura was just happy to be with him again as she laid her head on his shoulder with a content sigh getting a round of laughs from everyone around "Welcome home" Shikamaru whispered in her ear this caused her to look up and before she could respond he swooped down and gave her a passionate kiss.


End file.
